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INFORMATION 

FOR AUTHORS 

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS 

CONCERNING 

ALL KINDS OF LITERARY WORK. 



BY 

ELEANOR KIRK, |. 

COMPILER OF 

Periodicals that Pay ContriMtors." 



PUBLISHED AND FOR SALE BY THE AUTHOR. 



{j)UiCK\\^\ { i\ 



BROOKLYN, N. Y. 
786 LAFAYETTE AVENUE. 

1888. 






60643 

Copyright, 1888, 
By ELEANOR KIRK. 

All rights reserved. 



PEEFAOE 



This little volume of suggestions concerning the 
preparation of newspaper articles, magazine articles, 
poems, books, price and disposition of MS., etc., etc., 
has been rendered necessary by the large number of 
inquiries in regard to these matters called forth by 
the recent publication of " Periodicals that Pay Con- 
tributors.'' It embodies the answers to many letters 
received from authors desirous of instruction in some 
of the mechanical and intellectual phases of the work, 
and is offered as a help to all writers, especially be- 
ginners in the profession, by their friend and fellow- 
laborer 

Eleanor Kirk. 



TABLE OF CO]SrTE:RTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE LITERARY LIFE. 

PAGE 

Literary Demands of the Day — Qualifications for Author- 
ship — Moral Responsibility of Authors, 9 

CHAPTER II. 

APPEARANCE OF MS. 

Handwriting — Typewriting — Advantages of a Typewriter 
— Spelling and Punctuation — Paragraphing — Arrange- 
ment of Sheets, 16 

CHAPTER III. 

METHODS OF LITERARY WORK. 

Inspiration — Regular Hours for Work— Over-work— Mate- 
rials for Work— Study of Models, 33 

CHAPTER IV. 

LITERARY QUALITIES OF MSS. 

Originality — Brevity — Directness — Language — Choice of 
Titles— Revision of MSS 32 

CHAPTER V. 

VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 

Short Stories — Serial Stories — Poems — Books — Compila- 
tions — Translations — Domestic, Hygienic, and Educa- 



CONTEI^TS. 



tional Writing — Humor in Writing — "Writing for Chil- 
dren — Journalism — Shorthand Writing — Interviewing 
— Newspaper Syndicates — Plays — Literary Criticism — 
Illustrations, 40 

CHAPTER VI. 

ma:n^uscripts. 

Influence with Editors — Readers of MSS. — Prompt Exam- 
ination of MSS. — Prices Paid by different Periodicals 
— The Editor's Blue Pencil — Pseudonyms — Copyright- 
ing of MSS. — Mendicant Literature — Rejected MSS. — 
Discouragement of Authors 78 

CHAPTER VIL 

EDITORS. 

Correspondence with Editors — Responsibility for MSS. — 
Postage Stamps — Pigeon-holing of MSS. ..... 94 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE MAKi:!fG OF BOOKS. 

Paper and Ink — Appearance of MS. — General Suggestions 
— The Preparation of '' Copy" — Printing— Manuscript 
Proofs — Author and Publisher, 99 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE AUTHOR-PUBLISHER. 

Reasons for Publishing One's Own Work — Risks and Cost 
of Publication— Method of Publication, 109 

CHAPTER X. 

A REPRESEjS^TATIVB PUBIilCATION. 



INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS, 



CHAPTER I. 
THE LITERARY LIFE. 



Literary Demands of the Day — Qualifications for Authorship 
— Pleasures of Authorship — Moral Responsibility of Au- 
thors. 

The first requisite of a writer is to have something* 
to write, — in other words, something to say. It should 
be, first of all, something worth saying; secondly, 
something which nobody else has said ; thirdly, some- 
thing- said in an acceptable manner. 

LITERARY DEMANDS OF THE DAY. 

Commercial business now requires the lightning" ex- 
press, the telegraph, and the telephone. Social life is 
conducted on the same high-pressure principle. It no 
longer needs six months^ thoug-ht and preparation to 



10 INFORMATIO]^ FOR AUTHORS. 

get the lady of the manor started on a horseback trip 
of twenty miles to buy the silk dress of a generation. 
Her grand-daughters of to-day think nothing of run- 
ning over to Paris twice a year for spring and autumn 
shopping. We want our literary business transacted 
in very much the same way. Reading is not the only 
recreation of the present age. Leisure is absorbed in 
a hundred other ways, unknown to us half a century 
ago. We may begin a novel as the palace car moves 
out of the depot, but only on condition that it shall be 
finished by the time we reach our journey's end, for at 
that point fresh intellectual fare awaits us. Writers 
are already legion, and the number is every day in- 
creasing; the public grows to be more and more of a 
reading public, consequently more critical, exacting, 
and less easily pleased. 

QUALIFICATIONS FOR AUTHORSHIP. 

There is at present no line of professional work in 
which there is sharper competition than in authorship. 
In many respects it resembles a trade which must be 
learned with the same industry and painstaking as a 
carpenter learns to build a house, or an engineer to 
run a locomotive. One who has for many years pur- 
sued this trade, must of necessit^^ have learned about 



THE LITERAEY LIFE. 11 

it many thing's desirable to be known by beg-inners. 
It is for the purpose of helping- such that this little 
bortf is prepared. 

A desire to write does not necessarily imply ability 
to do so, though the probability is that this desire 
proves the existence of more or less literary talent. 
Except in the direction of purely mechanical work, it 
is doubtful if any one has ever succeeded as a writer 
who had no natural attraction to literary labor; but 
added to this native liking there must be some prep- 
aration for the profession. Burns, making the whole 
world listen while he sang- his songs from field and 
furrow ; Shakespeare, peopling that same world with 
his immortal creations ; Bunyan, working out in prison 
his marvellous allegory, are exceptions to the general 
rule. It is not because of ignorance, poverty, and 
suffering that gifted souls win fame, but in spite of 
these obstacles. The world has lost many " mute, in- 
g-lorious Miltons." 

Genius, that " gift of the gods," being so uncommon 
a thing, can safely set at naught all common rules and 
precedents; but the majority of writers, even the most 
successful ones, cannot properly be classed as g-eniuses, 
and must serve an humble apprenticeship as a means 
of commanding attention and winning fame. 



12 INFOEMATION FOE AUTHORS. 

The most essential natural qualities for an author 
are imag'ination, observation, memory, and sympathy, 
all of which are developed and strengthened by use. 
Added to these natural endowments should be a thor- 
oug-h education, for the more thorough the mental 
training" in every direction, the more solid and exten- 
sive the foundation for the intellectual structure. 
There is no line of knowledge which is not helpful to 
writers, and many are crippled throughout their whole 
career by the lack of early educational opportunities. 

Experience of life, contact with many different per- 
sonalities, the advantages of extensive travel, — all 
these are great aids to one who wishes to record the 
results of thought and observation, though that these 
things are not essential is constantly proved. On lonely 
Yorkshire moors, there came to the Bronte sisters in- 
spiration which travel and worldly knowledge might 
never have given to them. 

Added to natural and acquired qualifications, must 
be the homely, prosaic virtues of industry, patience, 
and perseverance. If there is truth in Carlyle^s words 
that "^ genius is only great patience,'^ one might well 
feel encouraged to cultivate the quality to an unlimited 
extent ; but even if one feels disposed to quarrel with 
the statement, there is no denying the fact that even 



THE LITER AKY LIFE. 13 

g-enius must remain an abstract and indefinite quality 
unless embodied in outward forms ; this embodiment 
requires work, and sometimes even drudgery; how 
much more then is such labor necessary to the 
ordinary individual? An author should have no 
super-sensitiveness, and should be always ready to 
receive honest criticism. If literature is a profes- 
sion to be learned, criticism upon our work from per- 
sons of judgment is an invaluable aid. But good 
judgment is not the only requisite for a critic; it 
must be honest judgment as well. The writer's own 
family and friends may, on account of their connection 
with him, be incapable of seeing faults, or unwilling to 
be truthful in indicating them. Incalculable harm is 
done to young writers by persons, usually friends or 
relatives, who from a mistaken kindness of heart pre- 
fer to encourage them by falsehood, rather than to 
pain them by the truth. Honesty, therefore, which is 
generall};^ in these cases the outgrow^th of disinterest- 
edness, is quite as necessary in criticism as is good 
judgment. 

PLEASURES OF AUTHORSHIP. 

Only the writer can know what satisfaction and 
pleasure are found in literary labor. As the singer 



14 IIS^FORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

may sing- from mere overflowing- gladness of soul, 
careless whether the song is heard, applauded, or paid 
for, so the writer may find an absorbing joy in the mere 
work of composition, aside from any considerations of 
payment, whether in the form of appreciation or that 
of the standard currency. But as a rule, authors 
write both for the appreciation of the public and the 
more substantial result counted out in coin. In this 
as in all other occupations, " The laborer is worthy of 
his hire." 

MORAL RESPONSIBILITY OF AUTHORS. 

The writer is doctor, teacher, and preacher all in 
one. His mission is one of entertainment, instruction 
and improvement. Every one who enters the profes- 
sion of literature should fully realize the important 
nature of the work and rightly estimate its power for 
good or evil. 

The written, far more than the spoken, word has 
molded the destiny of the world. The most eloquent 
sentences of the most gifted orator can reach but a 
comparatively small audience, and die as they strike 
the ear. Through the labors of the reporter and the 
printer the '^''thoughts that breathe and words that 
burn " are preserved for ever and made the property 



THE LITERARY LIFE. 15 

of the entire world. "After all/' sadly said the late 
Ruf us Choate in his last days, " after all, the only im- 
mortality is a hook." 

Writers are either a blessing- or a bane to the world. 
Would that each one of them could have the opportu- 
nity of saying- when his pen is laid aside forever that 
he had " never written a line which dying- he could 
wish to blot." 



16 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 



CHAPTER II. 

APPEARANCE OF MS. 

Handwriting — Type-writing — Advantages of a Type-writer — 
Spelling and Punctuation — Paragraphing — Arrangement 
of Sheets. 

The appearance of a MS. must have some weight 
with editors. They are physically attracted at first, 
and while intellectual attraction may not necessarily 
follow, the physical certainly opens for it a very wide 
door. Let no young- writer be led to suppose that he- 
cause immortal productions have occasionally been 
written in pencil on brown wrapping* paper or the 
backs of dirty old envelopes, the use of such materials 
is any indication of genius. 

HANDWRITING. 

Writing is the expression of thought upon paper. 
If the writing cannot be read, for what purpose was 
it written? It is the moral duty of every one who 
writes to write plainly, and there is no excuse for lack 



APPEAEANCE OF MS. 17 

of plainness. Grace and beautj^ are not essential, 
thoug-h desirable; plainness is indispensable. 

Neither is there any excuse for the use of poor pens 
and pale ink. Good pens and good ink are now manu- 
factured in such cheap and infinite varieties that each 
individual taste can be suited. Pencil writing- is liable 
to be rubbed and thereby become illegible; conse- 
quently it is not desirable as a general thing; but a 
pencil will do in emergencies, when nothing but a pen- 
cil is available, when the MS. is short or for immediate 
use, and if the writing- is very plain. 

Scrawly, illegible handwriting is no indication of 
mental endowment. The syllogism — "Horace Greely 
was a great man ; Horace Greely wrote a villainous 
hand; therefore a villainous handwriting is proof of 
g-reatness," is topsy-turvy logic, and the poorest sort 
of sense. 

As says Lucas Malet in his late novel, "A Counsel 
of Perfection,^^ — " In this country — a country of many 
innocent affectations — there has always been a ten- 
dency to proclaim gentility, or, if the word has too 
provincial a flavor, good breeding, by doing certain 
things exceedingly ill. The practice of penmanship 
would appear to be a case pre-eminently in point. To 
write well socially, you should write remarkably badly 



18 INFORMATIOIS: FOR AUTHORS. 

from all reasonable and useful points of view. Legi- 
bility is a mark of the bread-winning- classes. Among 
the precious privileges of the leisure ones is that of 
being magnificently hieroglyphic.^^ 

And there is an ethical side of this matter which 
writers — as mentors and teachers of mankind — should 
not disregard. N'o one has a moral right to steal the 
time, strength, patience or money of another. The 
editor, compositor, proof-reader who is obliged to waste 
time, eyesight, temper, and sometimes money — as in 
the case of a type-setter paid by the piece, over faint 
or illegible writing, — is imposed upon and robbed by 
those from whom he has a moral right to expect better 
treatment. 

TYPE-W^RITING. 

The invention of the type- writer has been an incal- 
culable benefit to authors. It saves an enormous 
amount of time and strength, while the copy so pro- 
duced is in every particular fully equal to print. Type- 
written matter is a joy to the heart of editor, com- 
positor, and proof-reader, and well it may be. 

The Remington Type-writer is the oldest machine 
in the market and the best for authors' use. It is per- 
fect in operation, very easily worked and not liable to 



APPEARAT^CE OF MS. 19 

get out of order. It is always desirable to retain copies 
of MSS. and business letters, and by the aid of the 
Reming-ton any number of copies can be made. To 
obtain a single copj^, a sheet of carbon paper is placed 
between two sheets of writing paper. But if so large 
a number is desired, fourteen duplicates can be pro- 
duced simultaneously. Full particulars concerning 
the method of doing this will be found in the illustrated 
pamphlet issued by the manufacturers. 

ADVANTAGES OF A TYPE- WRITER. 

To any one engaged in literary work, money put into 
a typewriter is invested at compound interest. It is 
a mistake to suppose that the process of learning is a 
long and difficult one. On the contrary, a person of 
ordinary intelligence can learn the principles and 
manipulation in a few hours, speed in the use of the 
machine being, of course^ a matter of time and prac- 
tice. It is a great relief from the stooping posture 
rendered necessary over a desk. The saving of one's 
eyes is an important matter, and the use of the type- 
writer is a great aid in this direction. Those whose 
eyesight is so poor that they find writing in the ordi- 
nary way a difficult and dangerous process, will have 
no trouble at all with the type-writer. The Reming- 



20 itntformation for authors. 

ton can be as easily learned and is as successfully used 
by persons who are totally blind as by those whose 
eyesig-ht is perfect. 

The type-writer prevents all danger of that serious 
and common trouble, " writer^s paralysis." Any one 
who has the slightest premonition of this affliction 
should heed the warning, remembering the hoary 
adage concerning the " ounce of prevention and pound 
of cure." The first indication of this disease is a numb- 
ness in the ends of the fingers and pain in the shoulder, 
developing into tingling pains running down the arm. 
It would be a great advantage to every person to be 
able to use the left hand as well as the right, but es- 
pecially so to writers, as it would afford relief from the 
continual strain upon the right hand and arm. 

SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION. 

Almost incredible stories are told by editors and 
"readers" of the ignorance concerning spelling- and 
punctuation, even among those who are termed g-ood 
writers. But the intellect which is of so sublime and 
dazzling a nature as to rise superior to the spelling" of 
the words and the punctuation of the sentences in 
which its ideas are clothed, is a very rare possession. 
True, spelling and punctuation can be furnished by 



APPEARANCE OF MS. 21 

thousands, where only one can furnish original ideas; 
but in this advanced ag-e to read and write seems to 
come by nature, as Dogberry asserted that it did, and 
no man should pretend to write who cannot do it in a 
proper mechanical manner. Dictionaries and gram- 
mars are as numerous as the leaves on the trees. 
Countless " Guides " and " Mentors " and " Verbahsts " 
are from time to time brought out by the press by 
authors who are interested in giving other authors 
grammatical and rhetorical points. One Avho sins in 
regard to forms of phraseology^, is in these latter days 
sinning against great light. 

PARAGRAPHING. 

IS'o rule can be given for paragraphing; it is a mat- 
ter requiring good judgment. Too long paragraphs 
are tiresome and confusing; too short ones have some- 
times the same effect. Unity is the principal thing to 
be considered, and a vital change in subject or form 
of thought should always be indicated. Practice, and 
the study of the best models will help a young writer 
in this particular. 

ARRANGEMENT OF SHEETS. 

Paper of note size is considered the best for ordinary 
MS. Any larg-er size is too large for the prmter^s con- 



22 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

venience. Every sheet should be plainly paged. In 
hook MS. sheets should he pag-ed consecutively — that 
is, without reg-ard to chapters. These can, however, 
be pag-ed temporarily by smaller figures, for instance 
in the lower right-hand corner of the sheet. 

Leave generous margins at the top, bottom, and on 
each side of the sheet. Not only does the page present 
a much better appearance, but the margins are con- 
venient for the making of notes, memoranda, and cor- 
rections. Much handling of copy by the printer and 
proof-reader is sometimes necessary, and in case of the 
inevitable tearing and soiling of the sheets, wide mar- 
gins prevent the writing from being injured. 

MSS. should never be rolled, and should be folded as 
little as possible. If any reason for this is required, let 
the author put himself in the place of editor or reader, 
and judge for himself of the comparative ease and 
comfort in reading flat pages to reading those which 
are creased or rolled. It is the rule now in some offices 
to return all rolled MSS. 



METHODS OE LITEBAB-Y WORK. 23 



CHAPTER III. 

METHODS OF LITERARY WORK. 

Inspiration — Regular Hours for Work— Overwork — Materials 
for Work— Study of Models. 

INSPIRATION. 

Probably no great artistic work is ever accom- 
plished without the impulse of that mysterious force, so 
easy to recognize, so difficult to define, which we call in- 
spiration. Its peculiarity is that no man knows whence 
It comes or w^hither it goes, neither the time nor the 
reason of its coming. It is as intangible, as uncertain, 
and uncontrollable as the wind. 'No better definition 
of it can be given than is found in Emerson^s descrip- 
tion of its effect. " Yesterday not a bird peeped ; the 
world was barren, peaked, and pining; to-day ^tis in- 
conceivably populous; creation swarms and melior- 
ates.'' 

Painters, poets, and musicians of all times and places 
have experienced more or less of this " divine afflatus " 
which " lifts the feet from the clods of earth, setting 



24 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

them to walk with the ang-els/' and it is out of such 
full tides of inspiration that there comes the po'wer for 
mig-hty and immortal work. It is easy to labor under 
such an influence; not only easy, but positively de- 
lig-htful. The artist knows no fatigue, doubt, or dis- 
courag-ement; it is only when this celestial fire grows 
cold within his brain that he relaxes, hesitates, and 
desponds. 

But one of the dangerous effects upon those who are 
familiar with this occasional influx of creative power, 
is an undue reliance upon it, a feeling- that no work 
can be done without it, and that the "mood" must be 
waited for. There are doubtless some cases where, 
owing to temperament or habit, this condition of 
things exists, but in general the reverse is true. It is 
easier to sail the sea with wind and tide in our favor, 
a strong incentive for the voyage, and the certainty 
of reward awaiting us in a desired haven; but it is- 
possible to make some headway against both wind and 
tide, with only a sense of duty to sustain us, and under 
a cloud of doubt as to our final safet}^ or success. If 
literature is adopted as a lifelong labor, as a means of 
support for one's self or family, it becomes absolutely 
necessary to disabuse the mind of the idea that it is 
either proiDer or profitable to wait for inspiration. 



METHODS OF LITERAKY WORK. 35 

"Why do you not set about your work?" asked a 
college president of a student who was dilatory in pro- 
ducing- a required essay. " I am waiting- for inspira- 
tion/' was the reply. 

" Inspiration is all very well, but I advise you to try 
a little perspiration/' was the sensible rejoinder of the 
elder and more experienced of the two. 

REGULAR HOURS FOR WORK. 

There is a law of periodicity in nature which operates 
as truly in the study as in the solar system. The 
muscles of the body trained to perform certain duties 
at certain times seem to acquire a consciousness not 
onl}^ of the work required, but of the proper time for its 
performance, the result being- that we do a thousand 
thing-s mechanically. It is possible to cultivate habits 
for the brain as well as for the body, and accustom the 
mind to accept certain tasks at certain hours. Ex- 
perience has proved this point beyond the necessity for 
arg-ument. Experience has also proved that applica- 
tion often opens the door to inspiration, and many an 
author who has g-one to his desk from a mere sense of 
duty, or a mere hope that " something- would come," 
has risen from it with the proud and happy conscious- 
ness of work satisfactorily accomplished. Generally 



26 USTFOEMATIOIS^ FOR AUTHORS. 

" something' comes/' the mere receptive attitude and 
desire to do one's best furnishing- favorable conditions. 
The cultivation of regularity results in a mental habit 
which renders one less and less dependent upon inspira- 
tioU;, though no less ready and able to take advantage 
of it when it arrives. 

OVERWORK. 

Overwork is no less a sin than many other forms of 
excess, though the motive which induces it is falsely 
supposed to carry with it excuse and palliation. 

When the duties of domestic and social life demand 
extra efforts of mind or body it is right that they 
should be made, and that the person so called upon 
should do his best under the circumstances. But it is 
stupid and wicked to tax one's self without cause, either 
in the pursuit of business or of pleasure. 

The temptation to overwork is peculiarly strong to 
literary workers. Unlike most lines of labor, that of 
composition is enjoyable and stimulating, leading the 
writer on, and rendering him almost unconscious of 
the lapse of time, especially when he is working under 
favorable conditions or feeling any definite inspiration. 
There are occasionally circumstances which justify 
this extra exertion, but as a rule there should be as 



METHODS OF LITERARY WORK. 27 

much regularity in leaving" off, as in beginning-, work. 
Intellectual toil is a severe draft both upon the brain 
and the nerves, and sometimes upon the body as well; 
it is more exhausting to th^ vital forces than the same 
amount of time spent in manual labor, and this fact 
should be continually borne in mind. The sedentary 
nature of literar^^ occupation demands extra attention 
to the laws of health. Nothing more effectually im- 
pairs the breathing power and thereb}^ every function 
of the body, than the constant stooping posture which 
this sort of work necessitates, and regular exercise, 
particularly that of vigorous walking, is the only way 
to avoid ph^^sical injury. 

All travel and recreation has a peculiar value to the 
writer, as he is liable at any moment to receive some 
impression, some hint or suggestion, which like a seed, 
carelessly dropped upon fertile soil, may develop into 
a vast and valuable growth. Nothing is more inter- 
esting than to read how certain books and poems came 
to be written. In man;f cases they were the outgrowth 
of some incident connected with a walk, a drive, or a 
conversation, and had the writer persisted in remain- 
ing at his desk, the experience, so fruitful in conse- 
quences, would never have fallen to his lot. Many 
writers can testify to this truth, and beginners in liter- 



28 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

ary work should as far as possible avail themselves of 
all such opportunities. 

MATERIALS FOR WORK. 

It is true enoug-h that ^'everything- is grist which 
comes to the writer's mill.'' There is nothing in physi- 
cal nature^ human nature, science, or art, which cannot 
be made serviceable to literature, and in this advanced 
state of our civilization there is less trouble in finding 
what we want than in classifying and keeping it for 
use. 

Every writer should have access to a library. The 
best education is not comprehensive enough to furnish 
every name, date, and item which may be required in 
literary work. But if such a privilege is impossible, it 
becomes all the more necessary to have certain refer- 
ence books. 

A dictionary is as indispensable to a writer as pen 
and ink, and should always be within reach of his 
hand. Experience has proved that Webster's Una- 
bridged Dictionary is superior to any other for desk 
use, where synonyms and the derivations and meanings 
of words must be constantly referred to. This work is 
really a library in itself, containing, it is saM, sufficient 
matter to make seventy-five 12mo. volumes that usu- 



METHODS OF LITERARY WORK. 29 

alty sell for $1.25 each. A set of Cyclopedias is also 
necessary. 

Beyond these, the only really indispensable books 
for a writer's constant use are those which form " Cas- 
selFs Reference Library/' including- a Dictionary of 
Phrase and Fable, a Dictionary of English Literature, 
a Dictionary of Miracles, and the Reader's Handbook. 
These four attractive octavo volumes are sold at the 
reasonable price of $11.00 a set, by the publishers, 
Cassell & Co., of New York. 

Newspaper and magazine items, bearing upon sub- 
jects in which an author is interested, are of the great- 
est possible service, but their constant accumulation 
makes the preservation and classification of them a 
weariness to the flesh and discouragement to the spirit. 
The Writer, a professional magazine published in Bos- 
ton, and giving each month a great number of valua- 
ble hints to authors, has printed from time to time 
articles from various contributors on the different 
methods of classifying newspaper clippings, so neces- 
sary in all literary work. 

This same publication contains in each issue invalua- 
ble suggestions concerning various mechanical devices 
for an author's desk, which can give increased facilities 
for work. It is certainly desirable to have all appli- 



30 INFORMATIOIS^ FOR AUTHORS. 

ances not only in order, but so economically and con- 
veniently arranged that there shall be all possible 
saving- of time and effort. 

STUDY OF MODELS. i 



Every successful literary production possesses quali- 
ties which make it a profitable study for all writers. 
Language is a complex and mighty tool, available for 
a thousand different uses. It is well to discover how 
it has been handled by the master-workmen who have 
with it accomplished grand results. 

Varied and extensive reading of the best authors will 
reveal many of the secrets of their success ; such read- 
ing, moreover, enlarges one^s vocabulary and gives a 
more thorough comprehension of the powers and pos- 
sibilities which exist in words. Such study leads one 
also to a knowledge of various styles and forms of ex- 
pression, serving to show their comparative euphony, 
clearness, and strength; it may suggest figures, ex- 
amples, and illustrations, plots, even, inasmuch as a 
new plot is but a fresh turn of the literary kaleido- 
scope; and it not unfrequently happens that such 
study serves also for warning, admonition, and re- 
proof, considering that in the works of the best authors 



METHODS OF LITERARY WORK. 31 

there are to be found occasionally faults which in 
recog-nizing" we should be reminded to avoid. 

We learn from such study how unnecessary is a dull 
or heavy style of writing-, even on heavy subjects or in 
a purely didactic vein. When history is as interesting 
as the stories which delighted our childhood, when 
science becomes as fascinating- as a novel, when 
philosophy holds us spell-bound over its words of wis- 
dom, then we realize, as at no other time, what power 
and charm can be given by the skillful or painstaking 
writer, to the hardest and driest facts. Prescott and 
Macauley, Huxley and Tyndall, Whewell and Emerson 
did this, while numberless books on the same subjects 
by authors as truthful and industrious, have remained 
unnoticed. The difference was not in the facts, but in 
the manner of treating them, and this happy faculty 
is the result of careful labor quite as often as it is the 
gift of g-enius. 



32 INFOEMATIO]^ FOE AUTHOES. 



CHAPTER IV. 

LITERARY QUALITIES OF MSS. 

Originality — Brevity — Directness — Language — Choice of 
Titles— Revision of MSS. 

ORIGINALITY. 

To have something- to write means to have some- 
thing- original. Imitation is a good thing in its place, 
but its place is not in literature. 

Chaucer could work over into poetic English form 
old French and Italian stories; Shakespeare could put 
those same stories into acceptable dramatic form ; but 
in those days neither French nor Italian literature 
was the property of the English-speaking people, and 
those who could transplant its products for the benefit 
of our Saxon ancestors, earned a lasting debt of grati- 
tude. But to-day one is expected to strike out, if he 
strikes out at all, in new and original directions, and 
this expectation is in keeping with the spirit of the 
age. If there is in you nothing but what other men 
have at some time said, forbear repeating it, or, yield- 



LITERARY QUALITIES OF MSS. 33 

ing" to the temptation to do so, forbear calling the 
world's attention to it as a new thing*. Paraphrase 
and parody are the second-hand clothes of literature, 
and always to be sold at a discount. 

It is no compliment to an author to be accused of 
plagiarism, however complimentary it may be to the 
writer whom he imitates. At the same time Solomon 
told the truth when he declared that " there is no new 
thing under the sun." The great fundamental facts 
Avhich underlie all human life and experience are as old 
as time itself, and yet are always as new as the daily 
sunrising, the yearly seed-time and harvest. A mod- 
ern philosopher has said that ^' nothing can be evolved 
which is not involved," a mere technical variation of 
the words of the wise man. 

Ethical truths can and must be repeated a thousand 
times. They cannot be original, for they have existed 
from the foundation of the world, but the writer's 
method of expressing them must be his own. " Fact, 
at best," saj^s George MacDonald, " is but a garm^ent 
of truth which has ten thousand changes of raiment 
woven in the same loom." 

All plots and exceptional developments in novel or 
drama depend almost wholly upon the skillful com- 
bination of old elements. It is a common complaint 
3 



34 INFOKMATIO^ FOK AUTHORS. 

that plots are exhausted, yet even hefore the words 
die upon the air some writer surprises us by seizing- 
upon a new and striking- combination of the same well- 
worn materials. 

All literary products are like musical compositions. 
From the seven notes of the scale are drawn infinite 
combinations of harmony, as from the emotions of 
the human heart are evolved all possible experiences. 
The writer no more creates these emotions than does 
the musician the laws of acoustics ; it is the individual 
form of treatment which constitutes originality. 

BREVITY. 

Editors employ an expressive metaphor in their in- 
variable direction — "Boil it down."" "Multum in 
parvo " should be the motto of all writers — as many 
ideas as possible in the fewest possible words. Experi- 
ence proves that nothing- is more difficult or more de- 
sirable than condensation. It requires much time, 
great wisdom, and good judgment. It was the late 
Samuel Bowles, of the Springfield Republican, who 
apologised for a long editorial by saying that he had 
no time to write a short one. Nothing pa^^s better 
than the time given to " boiling down.'' It often makes 
the difference between the acceptance and the rejection 



LITERARY QUALITIES OF MSS. 35 

of an article. Young- writers are prone to verbosity. 
Guard against it as against an unpardonable sin. The 
reader should not be wearied with a mass of un-essen- 
tial details. It is for instance of very little consequence 
whether your heroine has her hat trimmed with wide 
or narrow ribbon; whether in leavmg a room she 
closes the door with her right or her left hand, or 
whether she is a blonde or brunette, if she is seen only 
when perpetrating some moonlight murder. Brevity 
is not only the soul of wit, but of wisdom, and especially 
is this true in literary work. The three-volume novel 
went out of fashion when the steam-eng-ine and rail- 
road train came in. 

DIRECTNESS. 

A just and relative proportion should be maintained 
in every literary composition. The main point of the 
article should be kept steadily in view, incidental 
matters connected with it taking a subordinate and 
proportionate place. 

Avoid introductions and descriptions. Introductions 
are not needed, and descriptions, to be worth anything, 
must be written by those possessing that rare and 
peculiar literary ability which can paint persons and 
places as truly with ink on paper as in colors upon 



36 INFOKMATIOIN^ FOR AUTHORS. 

canvas. General facts concerning- persons and places 
are often necessary, and are not difficult to give, even 
for those who do not excel in descriptive writing. 

The reader's attention should be kept sustained from 
one paragraph to the next, and the writer must not 
avail himself of the privilege of sitting down by the 
roadside to take a leisurely survey of the landscape 
while the reader waits on the high road, eager to 
push on. 

Do not repeat. Pay your readers the compliment 
of assuming that they understand a statement once 
clearly and forcibly made ; repetition is a tacit way of 
suggesting- that they are either stupid or inattentive, 
and this exasperating- implication, which results in a 
constant interruption of the reader's thought, is always 
resented. 

Work on straight lines, that is with a view to the 
logical sequence of events. Under ordinary circum- 
stances and in illustration of a great general principle, 
it is best to have the experiences of your hero's man- 
hood follow, not precede, those of his boyhood. Do not 
require from the reader a constant metaphorical look- 
ing over the shoulder; do not explain things which 
need no explanation, or which in the natural unfolding 
of the work will explain themselves. The reader's at- 



LITEKAEY QUALITIES OF MSS. 37 

tention should not be confused by the introduction of 
many different characters at one time, and each char- 
acter as it is presented should be clearly defined. 

LANGUAGE. 

One of the soundest of all rhetorical rules is that 
which forbids the frequent use of foreig-n and obsolete 
words. ISTo conscientious or cultured writer will offend 
g-ood taste and good sense in this matter. The English 
language is amply sufficient for the use of all English 
writers. Of course there can be no reasonable objec- 
tion to the occasional employment of an expressive 
foreign word or sentence, especially those from the 
French or Latin, which have become familiar to the 
g-eneral reader; but there is no excuse for a sentence 
to be so interlarded with foreign forms as to make it 
unintelligible to any but the erudite reader. 

CHOICE OF TITLES. 

As we accept the truth of the proverb, "A thing 
well begun is half done,'" so we might say in regard to 
this subject, "An article well named is half sold.'^ The 
name does not alter the character of the composition 
any more than it changes the fragrance of the flower, 



38 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

nor will a poor literary production become available 
merely on the strength of its title. But a striking- 
title adds at least fifty per cent, to the value of the 
production. On the other hand, a trite, commonplace, 
or neutral title is a disappointment to begin with, and 
cannot fail to prejudice the reader of the MS. 

The name given to any composition must be a crys- 
tallization of the entire work; it must be brief, intelli- 
gible, not of doubtful or difficult pronunciation ; unique 
and striking, if possible, stimulating curiosity but not 
satisfying it. The selection of a name answering to 
all these requirements is often as difficult as it is im- 
portant ; yet all thought expended upon it is profitably 
spent, and no writer can make a greater mistake than 
to attach an inadequate title to an article on account 
of his haste to dispose of it. It is a poor policy in an 
economical as well as artistic sense. 

REVISION OF MS. 

"No faithful workman finds his task a pastime,'^ 
says Carlyle, and the saying is as true of the literary 
laborer as of all others ; the sudden inspiration, the en- 
thusiasm of rapid composition, the pleasure in the 
completed work, — this is the pastime of the artist, but 
fidelity to his self-appointed task calls also for a cer- 



LITERARY QUALITIES OF MSS. 39 

tain amount of drudgery, which can seldom be inspira- 
tional or enthusiastic. 

The highest degree of excellence should be aimed at 
by the writer, and no copy should leave his hands 
while he is conscious of its containing any imperfec- 
tions which can be remedied by patient labor. Still 
it does not follow that the first draft of a composition 
is necessarily inferior to following ones. The contrary 
is sometimes true. Just at this point a writer should 
possess clear judgment concerning his own work, for 
as a man who is suddenly moved to speech hy some 
tremendous emotion, utters words more eloquent than 
any which would rise to his lips in a less impassioned 
mood, so a writer, seizing upon some vital thought, 
often records it with little care of phraseology, in lan- 
guage which no change can improve. There is such a 
thing as too much painstaking. It is possible to prune 
and polish away all the points which give strength and 
character to the work, — ^to reduce it to the dead level of 
commonplace. 



40 INFOKMATION FOR AUTHORS. 



CHAPTER Y. 

VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 

Short Stories — Serials — Poems — Books — Compilations — Trans- 
lations — Domestic, Hygienic and Educational Writing — 
Humor in Writing — Writing for Children — Journalism — 
Short-hand Writing — Interviewing — Newspaper Syndi- 
cates — Plays — Literary Criticism — Illustrations. 

SHORT STORIES. 

The demand of the day is for short stories, and, 
strangely enough, the demand is at present largely in 
excess of the supply, though the same cannot be said 
of any other line of literary work. Public taste has 
created the demand, but it is not an easy one to sat- 
isfy. A story must first of all be interesting; secondty, 
it must be complete, and when to this is added brevity, 
it becomes no easy matter to satisfy all the require- 
ments. The main difficulty is to compress it to the 
desired length, and at the same time to give strength 
and definiteness to the characters, sufficient incident, 
and harmonious development to the whole. 



VAKIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. • 41 

There has been much misconception as to what con- 
stitutes the leng-th and style of a short story. First 
of all, it is not necessarily a love story ; good domestic 
stories are in demand ; but anything- over five thousand 
words is not considered a short story. Editors are 
willing to pay as much for a story of two tliousand 
words as for one of five thousand, or, as they express 
it, are willing to "pay for space.^^ For "Harper's 
Young People^' the publishers desire stories of only 
seven hundred words in length, and find it exceedingly 
hard to get satisfactory ones. Other publications are 
equally anxious to obtain this style of story. ISTo field 
affords greater promise to the author who can succeed 
in doing this sort of work, and it is probable that for 
a long time to come the good short story will be eag- 
erly welcomed by all editors and be liberally paid for. 

SERIALS. 

Only certain publications " run " serial stories, and 
it is well for an author to make a definite engagement 
with the paper or magazine for which he proposes to 
write before constructing the story. As far as inci- 
dent, development, and general interest is concerned, 
all stories require the same treatment as the short 
story, but a serial or a novel affords infinitely more 



42 INFOBMATIOJ^ FOR AUTHORS. 

scope in these matters. One of the chief points to be 
observed in the division of the work for weekly or 
monthly publication is to have each portion end as 
strikingly as possible, that is in such a way as to make 
the reader, as in the case of Sam Weller^s valentine 
" Vish there vos more of it/' and be eag-er for the next 
installment. 

Stories as a rule should possses the dramatic ele- 
ment, — that is, a graphic, vivid, and lively style. It is 
well for the author to let his characters do the talking 
instead of doing it himself; there should be no long 
" waits,'' which are as tiresome in a story as upon the 
stage; there should be an effort made to present pic- 
tures to the reader, — that is, such grouping, arrange- 
ment, and movement of characters as to enable him 
to see, as well as comprehend, them; and, if any mor- 
alizing is to be done, let it be done by the characters, 
rather than by the author himself. 

POEMS. 

Well may one's pen pause in attempting to advise 
or suggest anything concerning the writing of poetry. 
Nothing is more surprising than the ease with which 
the average mortal '' drops into poetry." Silas Wegg's 
facility was nothing compared to it. 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 43 

Boys and girls of sixteen are called upon to write 
" class poems " for graduation, and no doubt appears 
to be felt, either by them or by their teachers, of their 
ability to do it. The average young man and young 
woman on a summer vacation easily writes verses to 
order — and sometimes remarkably good ones — to com- 
memorate the incidents of a picnic, a boating party, 
or a lawn tennis tournament. Daily papers, even the 
smallest and most obscure ones, have respectable 
poems in their odd corners, while magazine offices are 
running over with poetical contributions. In this line 
of work, the suppl}^ far exceeds the demand, and bids 
fair to continue to do so. 

^Notwithstanding the enormous amount of poetry 
which is being constantly constructed, and the large 
number of surprisingly good verses which are con- 
stantly being published, the fact remains that good 
poetry is the m ost difficult and the most artistic literary 
work. Poetic feeling is not enough endowment to create 
a poet, even if to this is added a thorough education, 
and a fine sense of rhjmie, rhythm, and harmonj^ 
Perhaps it is not too much to say that for the com - 
position of what can in its highest and truest sense be 
called poetry, there is needed that subtle something 
which we call inspiration. It is the " vital spark of 



44 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

heavenly flame/' and makes all the difference between 
choice words rhythmically arrang-ed, and words which 
contain the true poetic fire. It is probable that every 
true poet is conscious of this element. The writer of 
poetry cannot be too critical of his own work. 

But there is no excuse for the existence of poor 
poetry. A writer should not be satisfied with an^^thing- 
less than perfection in rhyme and rhythm at least. The 
most utterly flat and commonplace thing- in the world 
is a commonplace poem. There is no demand for it, 
no place for it, and to write it is to waste time, ink, and 
paper It is what an English writer has truly termed 
" platitude sweetened with sound,'' and platitude with- 
out the sweetening is bad enough. The addition of 
the jingle is no improvement. 

BOOKS. 

Perhaps Ruskin has given, better than any other 
man, the only reason why any man should write a 
book: "A book is written not to multiply the voice 
merely, not to carry it merely, but to p'reserve it. The 
author has something to say which he perceives to be 
true and useful or helpfully beautiful. So far as he 
knows, no one has yet said it. In the sum of his life 
he flnds this to be the thing, or group of things, mani- 



VAKIETIES OF LITEEAEY AVOKK. 45 

fest to him; this the piece of true knowledg-e or sight 
which his share of sunshine and earth has permitted 
him to seize. That is, in his small human way and 
with whatever degree of true inspiration is in him, his 
inscription, or scripture. That is a Book." And " of 
all the things which man can do or make here below, 
hy far the most momentous, wonderful, and worthy, 
are the things we call hooks,'^ says Carlyle.. 

While it is true that " of making many hooks there 
is no end," it is equally true that there is no reason 
why there should be an end as long as the book is 
worth making. Whether or not it will find readers 
after it is made, is not a pertinent question, for any 
book worth making is sure to interest somebody, and 
has occasionally done greater service to a future than 
to its present generation. The only question then is 
whether the writer, in Ruskin's words, has found 
something specially true, helpful, or beautiful which 
he alone can give to the world. For this great grow- 
ing world needs all the light, help, and enjoyment that 
writers can give it. Mighty moral and social problems 
are every day arising and calling for solution. " The 
pen of a ready writer," whose work will reach thou- 
sands beyond his immediate locality, can be made a 
great power for good in discussing and settling tliQ 



46 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

moral issues of the day. Fiction can do — and is doing" 
— a great work in this direction, which proves that 
there are different kinds of pulpits for the purposes of 
preaching. Ever^^ good book adds to the world's 
treasures, and it is appalling to think what the world 
would have lost if many of its successful writers of 
books had followed the advice now so commonly given, 
" Don't.''' Yet let the writer be sure that what he has 
to offer to the reading public is of sufficient value to 
justify the offering, for it is no small matter to write 
a book or to insure its favorable reception. In 1887 
there were 4,437 books published in this country. Of 
these, 488 were for children. In the line of Religion, 
Physical, Mental, and Social Science, 483. History 
was set forth in 150 volumes. Law was more prolific 
in 437. Biography filled 201 books, while all other lines 
of literary work were proportionately represented. 
Of 1,022 novels published during the year, 625, or more 
than one-half, are issues in paper covers or reprints of 
English novels. "Mne-tenths of these," says Dr. 
Henr3^ Van Dyke of New York, " are either silly or 
pernicious, and nearly all of them bear the taint that 
attaches to stolen property." 

Of the several magazines published in New York, 
the Century, Scribner's, Harper's, The Forum, North 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 47 

American Review, American Mag-azine, and Magazine 
of American History, 650,000 copies are issued each 
month. 

It is not possible to give smj rules or many sugges- 
tions in regard to the writing of books, except novels, 
and even then the novelist must, in large measure, be 
a law unto himself; but certainly a study of the best 
novels and the closest possible study of human nature, 
are the first things requisite for the novel writer. The 
latter is indispensable and may suffice of itself, but 
in some cases a separate study of literary form and 
..Aiish is necessary. The best pictures are those in 
which the objects portrayed appear to be the real 
things and not the mere representations of the thing's ; 
the best novels are those which are so true to life that 
the characters seem real flesh and blood and not mere 
pen-and-ink creations. 

Whatever may be the types or classes of characters 
which figure in a novel, they should first of all be true 
to themselves. It is a significant fact that the people 
who fill the novels of Charles Dickens are as real to us 
as those who live in the same house with us. In fact,, 
they were not only so strongly portrayed as to be 
everlastingly remembered, but they were so faithful a 
representation of the type to which they belonged that 



48 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

their very names become sug-gestive of certain quali- 
ties. To call a man a " reg-ular Micawber/' or a woman 
" a perfect Mrs. Nickleb^^'" is to define their characters 
without need of any words. Dickens was never g'uilt}^ 
of putting- into the mouth of Bill Sykes words which 
could only be uttered by Chadband, or of alio wing- 
Uriah Heep to talk like Captain Cuttle. Whatever the 
character was, he v/as himself, from the beginning to 
the end of the book. 'No matter what criticism may 
be made of this particular author, whether one likes 
or dislikes his books, loves or hates his characters, the 
fact remains that he succeeded in creating' real men 
and women for us to despise or approve of as w^e 
please. How is it with the writer of the averag-e 
Modern Novel ? The deacon of a Presbyterian Church 
has on one pag-e the characteristics of a cow-boy, and 
the chaperon of a party of young- ladies flg-ures as the 
greatest flirt, and uses the most slang, of any of the 
number. 

There is much controversy of late concerning Ideal- 
istic and Kealistic novels, and we must admit that 
sentiment, which was one of the main elements of 
fiction, has now become subordinated to ambition 
and action. It has been well said concerning this 
point, " The fundamental conception on which the true 



VARIETIES 0¥ LITEKARY WORK. 49 

ideal novel should be written, is that man is naturall3^ 
weak and evil, but he need not remain so. Make man 
in fiction as sinful as he may be, but do not keep him 
ever g"oing" lower. Tr}^ to unite reality and ideality 
by putting- man as he is, to struggle with man as he 
should be, whatever that ideal may be. Realism errs 
in placing all great joy or sorrow only in the body.^^ 

Ruskin says, " Tales of interesting persons should 
not end Avith their marriage, and for the general good 
of society the varied energies and expanding peace of 
wedded life would be better subjects of interest than 
the narrow aims, vain distresses, or passing joys of 
youth.^' 

While the plot is considered one of the principal in- 
gredients of a novel, it is not indispensable, nor need it 
be outside of the most ordinary experiences of life. It 
is the work of talent and of genius to transform the 
commonplace into the uncommon^ and some of the 
most striking romances ever written have contained 
no incidents which might not have happened — which 
perhaps have happened — in our own family or neigh- 
borhood. 

The qualities necessary to the construction of a good 
novel are precisely the same as those required in the 
short story, though with the advantage of more time 



50 INFOKMATIOK FOK AUTHORS. 

and space in which to develop plot and characters. 
Probably the day will never dawn when a g-ood novel 
will not find plenty of eager and appreciative readers. 

COMPILATIONS. 

To make one book out of man}^ books is a perfectly 
leg-itimate, and often a profitable, line of work. It is 
carried on as a distinct and constantly increasing- 
form of authorship. As books on any subject multi- 
ply, it becomes a greater necessity to select from them 
the vital matters which can be collected in a single 
volume, and therefore made more available from being 
presented in convenient shape. 

Compilation calls not only for extensive reading, 
but for great judgment in selection, and great skill 
in putting together the selections. With these quali- 
fications it is only necessary to make sure that the 
subject chosen is one of general interest for a cer- 
tain class of readers. Much valuable service has 
been rendered the world b}^ patient and painstak- 
ing authors who have " lived laborious days " in the 
dim alcoves of libraries, gathering into one casket the 
gems of history, literature, science, or poetry scattered 
and almost lost It? various literar^^ storehouses. 



VAEIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 51 

TRANSLATIONS. 

The Scandinavian novelist, Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen, 
declares that "the more replete a book is with the 
charms of style and imag-inative coloring-, the harder 
it is to translate/^ He considers that the United 
States have produced three of the greatest translators 
of modern times, — Longfellow, Bryant, and Bayard 
Taylor. He cannot sufficiently praise these men for 
their fidelity to plot and story, and also for their 
happy choice of words, which in some cases, he thinks, 
makes their work an improvement even on the origi- 
nal. Mrs. Wister of Philadelphia is undoubtedly our 
most famous and popular translator of German 
novels. She allows herself the g-reatest liberty in her 
work, even to suppressing or introducing characters, 
changing the plot or the climax. It is said that her 
answer to a young lady who applied to her to know 
what chance there was for her to succeed as a trans- 
lator, was, '^ The question is not whether you can read 
German, but whether you can write English. Any- 
body can find out the meaning of a page of German, — 
that is simply an affair between himself and his dis- 
tionary; but to set down the meaning- in good and 
attractive English is quite another matter. A trans- 



52 INFOKMATION FOE AUTHORS. 

lator is only a novelist who takes plots from foreign 
authors/^ 

A translator, then, requires not only the most inti- 
mate and critical knowledg-e of the idiomatic structure 
of a foreign language, but as much skill in the use of 
his own as if his work were purely original. Few 
writers possess these requisites in marked degree. 
The literary field is full of bunglers like " the British 
barbarian " who undertook to put Goethe's " Sorrows 
of Werther " into English for the Bohn Library, and 
made such wretched work of it that nobody can dis- 
cover its original charm, leading one to conclude that 
German literature must be a poor sort of a thing if 
this book is a specimen of the work of one of its great- 
est writers. 

A translation must be exceedingly good in itself, and 
a rendering into English of some remarkably fine 
poem or novel, in order to make it acceptable. It is 
best to consult with an editor or publisher before un- 
dertaking this work to avoid the otherwise great risk 
of losing much time and labor. 

DOMESTIC, HYGIENIC, AND EDUCATIONAL WRITING. 

There is no line of literary work which has been so 
rapidly developed of late years as that having refer- 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 53 

ence to the affairs of health, the home, and the school. 
There has sprung- up a larg-e number of papers and 
mag-azines devoted almost wholly to these subjects. 
"Babyhood/^ published in New York, has become 
almost as much of a necessity to mothers as the cloth- 
ing- which covers the little one. What would the 
mothers and the g-randmothers of the present g-enera- 
tion have thought of receiving- each month, in attrac- 
tive printed form, instruction upon every physical and 
moral interest involved in the life of the g-rowing- child 
— from directions how to save pain in teething-, to 
equally explicit directions concerning- the best means 
of amusing- him and keeping- him from crying-? 
What hosts of distracted mothers, ig-norant of all 
such matters, wearing- themselves out in vain experi- 
ments, would have felt that the millenium had 
dawned indeed if such a magazine had existed in their 
day. 

"Good Housekeeping^' is an equally indispensable 
publication to all those upon whom devolves the care 
of the home, and it is fully appreciated for its valua- 
ble, because practical, help. There is no subject in 
which domestic comfort, economy, and elegance is 
concerned that is not helpfully considered in this 
publication. 



54 Iiq^FOEMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

All educational matters are coming- to the front 
with amazing- rapidity^, demanding attention and 
adjustment. Reform of our school sj^stem is one of 
the most imperative duties of the day, and there is 
scarcely a periodical in the country which does not 
have articles and editorials upon this great question. 
But reform is yet, undoubtedly, a great way off, and 
in the meantime there is much hard work to be done 
by thinkers and writers to hasten along the day of 
better things. 

All of these comparatively new lines of M'-ork are the 
inevitable and natural outgrowth of our developing 
civilization. There is constantly growing among men 
a more thorough realization of the intimate connec- 
tion between good health, good house-keeping, proper 
education, and all the great social problems of the 
day. This realization constantly increases in strength, 
and clamors as constant^ for light upon these 
matters, and such help in solving them, as writers 
alone can give. Aside from the publications de- 
voted exclusively to these subjects, there is hardly 
a periodical that has not made some concession to this 
popular demand, and given some portion of its columns 
to the nursery, the household, and the school. 

Any writer who has anything earnest and helpful to 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 55 

say on these practical matters may be sure of a hear- 
ing". The best prices are paid for domestic^ hygienic, 
and educational articles, and editors still cry for 
more. The world has enoug'h, and, in fact, too many 
novels ; it is flooded with poetry, good, bad, and indif- 
ferent, but these represent the sentiment of the literary 
life while the age is clamoring for hard, practical 
sense, hurrying to get on in business, society, and 
travel, and welcoming all suggestions as to economy 
and increase of social, domestic, and business force. 
The enormous impetus given to the one branch of 
cooking, alone, during the past half dozen years, is an 
indication of the utilitarian spirit Avhich is striving to 
bring social and domestic life up to a higher plane. 
The subject of dress, too, has given rise to much prof- 
itable discussion, and Avill continue to do so, whether 
or not there is any immediate reform in the matter of 
costum.es. 

Here is a great and grooving field for the wide- 
awake, practical, energetic author, — a field white for 
the harvest, in which all the work that is done can be 
carried on not only with the certainty of an adequate 
pecuniary reward, but in full consciousness that it is 
the ver}^ best form of missionary work for the entire 
Avorld. 



56 INFOEMATIOX FOR AUTHORS. 

HUMOR IN WRITING. 

"Wit/^ says Emerson^, ''makes its own welcome, 
and levels all distinctions. We must learn by laughter, 
as well as by fears and terror, and get the rest and 
refreshment of the shaking- of the sides." If health of 
body and happiness of mind are good and desirable 
things, then blessed be the men who make us laugh, — 
the fun-makers of the world. A hearty laugh is the 
best kind of physical exercise, for it thoroughly stirs 
the blood, and thereby invigorates every organ of the 
body; it is the best kind of mental stimulus, for it 
can do more than anything else to put us " in harmony 
with our environment," to make us patient, charitable, 
and good-natured. It is only in literature that we 
can keep this intellectual tonic in permanent form, 
and the world is under immortal obligations to its 
famous humorists. 

The gift of humor — either the power of creating or 
of enjoying it — is not vouchsafed to all. It is almost 
as rare as genius, — in fact, can be said to constitute 
one form of genius, — but there is a large number of 
writers who have more or less of this divine gift, and 
there are many others who possess more of it than 
they use. 



VAEIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 57 

It is a mistake to suppose that a dull or sober style 
is necessarily more impressive and effective than a 
lig-ht, or even jovial, one. A writer should conscien- 
tiously cultivate the habit of looking- at the most seri- 
ous subjects in a cheery and hopeful manner, helpful to 
himself and inspiring- to others. It is a moral duty, 
incumbent upon him by virtue of the office which he 
has assumed. It is one of the great responsibilities of 
the profession. Who can estimate the good which 
has been wrought in the world by the kindly satire, 
the delicate humor, of Thomas Hood and Charles 
Lamb, Charles Dickens and Oliver Wendell Holmes ? 
The world^s readers keep ever a warm corner in their 
hearts for such writers. 

Practically considered, humorous writing pa?/ j. The 
editors of comic papers cannot get enough of the 
material suitable for their special publications, and 
good prices are always paid for it when it is obtained. 
"Puck," the brightest and most original of all our 
comic papers, calls attention to certain subjects which 
" are not favorably regarded by an enlightened popu • 
lace." Among them are enumerated " The Mother-in- 
Law, the Wooer and the Bulldog, the Spring Poet, 
Boarding-house Fare, Plumbers, and Intoxication." 
Cheap wit is ver^^ poor stuff, and ridicule of a 



58 INFOEMATIOIS^ FOR AUTHORS. 

person, place, or thing- is not necessarily witty. The 
humorist needs good sense as well as brilliant brains. ■ 
If he possesses both, he will be sure to use g-ood 
taste, and with this equipment can well be encourag-ed 
to attempt humorous composition. 

WRITING FOR CHILDREN. 

One of the most marked intellectual changes of the 
century is the sort of mental diet now prepared for 
children. The almost universal education of the 
people has increased the taste for reading in all classes, 
and children are now from their birth surrounded b^^ 
books, magazines, and illustrated papers. Experience 
has proved that good books for the little folks are the 
greatest possible aids to their entertainment and in- 
struction, while publishers have been quick to perceive 
the enormous financial profit accruing from the sale 
of this special line of literature. 

The character as well as the amount of literary work 
for children has changed greatly during the last half 
century. The particular primness and propriety which 
was supposed to be its most essential element has 
given place to something not less suitable and satis- 
factory in its moral purpose, but less didactic and 
" preachy '' in form. The " Kollo Books " are still in 



VAEIETIES OF LITEEARY WORK. 59 

good and reg-ular standing- with children, and de- 
servedly so, but " Sandford and Merton '' is considered 
a little too slow and " poky " for the young- people of 
the present generation. A new literary era dawned 
for children when '' St. Mcholas/' the '' Wide Awake/' 
and " Harper's Young People," began to cater monthly 
to their literary tastes. 

No work proves more interesting- and profitable to 
the young than books of travel and descriptions of 
famous places. Biography ranks next, but the sub- 
ject chosen mast be worthy of the labor bestowed upon 
it, and so treated as to charm and stimulate the young- 
reader. Peculiar talent is needed for both these lines 
of work, as the requirements are hard to fill, but when 
successfully done they are among the most profitable 
kinds of literary labor. 

Good stories for the young are always in demand, 
also good poems, especially of a narrative or humorous 
style. By " good " is meant, first of all, such as are 
suited to the mental capacity of children, and interest- 
ing them from the first line to the last. They should 
be free from everything objectionable in thought or 
expression, straightforward, clear, and brief. If the 
article contains a moral point or lesson, as is, of 
course, desirable, it sliould be subordinated to the main 



60 iisrroRMATioisr for authors. 

interest, not obtruded or forced upon the attention of 
the reader. Children are quick to draw inferences and 
make comparisons when statements are within their 
comprehension, and a g"reat point is guined when they 
are left to do so for themselves. Any moral lesson 
which cannot be thus absorbed from poem or story is 
g-enerally valueless, and the child feels himself the 
victim of false pretences when discovering* that he is 
really being" preached to where he expected to be en- 
tertained. The ethical pill should either be coated so 
judiciously that it will be swallowed without suspicion, 
or not coated at all. Children hate sham and deceit, 
and are quick to detect it. 

Pictures of suffering* and misery are out of place in 
children's books. Nothing- can be g-ained, while much 
is lost, by shadowing- these brig-ht young- spirits with 
distressing- revelations of the world's woe and wicked- 
ness, which actual experience will teach them all too 
soon. Children as a class are sensitive and sympa- 
thetic; their emotional nature is easily roused. It is 
one of the complaints of the ag-e that we live too much 
in the sensational and the emotional, that the world 
suffers from a g»reat waste of nervous force. Much of 
this tendency is the result of misdirected education. 
Let no writer's hand set itself to the lamentable busi- 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 61 

ness of playing- upon the heart-strings of children. A 
sad or depressing- story is as unfit for a child's mind 
as the moss-g-rown walls of a cloister for his little 
bounding- body. Pathetic tales of dead birds and 
maimed kittens and outcast dog-s have made too much 
imag-inative misery for the little ones. Let the birds 
sing- and the kittens frolic and the dog-s enjoy life in 
the children's stories, whatever sad fate may befall 
them in city streets. Children should be made happier 
and healthier by what they read as by what they play. 
The heroes and heroines of their stories should never 
die, but live in streng-th, hope, and helpfulness in the 
miniature world. The sorrows and neg-ations of life 
are of course to be encountered in all human experi- 
ences, but it is a mistaken notion that children can be 
harmed by withholding- from them such knowledg-e as 
long- as possible, or that by g-iving- it to them they are 
better fitted to meet and endure trouble. 

Of course it is unnecessary to state that all writing- 
for children should rest upon the hig-hest moral 
g-round, thoug-h the atmosphere of that elevation need 
not necessarily be too dry or too stimulating- for the 
undeveloped lung-s. Sunday-school libraries are con- 
stantly in search of suitable books for the young, and 
the need will continue. Many authors have gained 



62 IlS-rOEMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

much fame as well as financial success by devoting" 
themselves exclusively to this line of work. As suc- 
cessful writers for children are rare and the demand 
for such literature is constantly increasing, their work 
will always be sought for and always command a good 
price in the market. 

JOURNALISM. 

A newspaper is exactly what its name implies, — a 
news paper. The number of newspapers is to-day 
enormous and the news is of infinite variety, gathered 
hourly as it is from all quarters of the g-lobe. A news- 
paper is a universal intellectual caterer, providing 
many different dishes for widely different appetites. 
As Emerson says, '' It does its best to make every 
square acre of land and sea give an account of itself 
at your breakfast table." 

In newspaper writing the quality of brevity is 
especially desirable, both from the great variety of 
subjects included and the absolute limitations of space. 

Newspaper writing affords the best sort of practice 
for any one who desires to become proficient in that 
most powerful element of all literary work — condensa- 
tion. To make five words do the work of fifteen and 
do it five times better, — not leaving- out any of the in- 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 63 

formation conve^^ed by the other ten, — this is the g-reat 
secret of newspaper work in its principal department, 
— that of reporting" the news of the day. 

The reporter's profession is over-crowded, and the 
great mass of reporters worl^ for less salary than is 
received by men who put the written productions into 
type. There is no m^^stery in the fact. Compositors 
learn thoroughly a regular trade which always com- 
mands good wages. The reporter's ranks are recruited 
from hosts of young men with a fair, common-school 
education, trained to no trade, possessing no mechani- 
cal ability in any direction, without capital necessary 
to start them in mercantile business, who think 
" newspaper work '^ easy and respectable and therefore 
eagerly seek it. Many succeed in this work, learning, 
it is true, by a sort of rough-and-tumble experience, 
which, like disagreeable medicine, is good for the 
patient; but too many meet with a fair degree of suc- 
cess for any one of them to attain a high position, or 
any considerable salary. Of course there are a few 
exceptions, but they are very few indeed. The inflex- 
ible rule of the newspaper office that no reporter shall 
comment or express any opinion upon the facts which 
it is alone his duty to state, is no doubt responsible 
for a good deal of the crushing of individuality and 



64 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

real talent in some members of the reporter's staff, 
and does much to reduce each member of the force, 
whatever his ability, to the same commonplace foot- 
ing*. However, while this remains the law in most 
newspaper offices, the reporter must either refrain 
from complaint and make the best of the situation, or 
betake himself to more congenial fields. 

Of course there are grades of excellence among re- 
porters, who are known as Poor, Fair, or Fine. Even 
in the mere presentation of facts there is a vast differ- 
ence between the poor and the first -class ways of stat- 
ing them. Absolute grammatical and rhetorical 
accuracy, careful choice of words, conciseness, pictur- 
esqueness, vivid descriptions, logical sequence, — all 
these things add g-reatly to the value of even the mere 
news item. 

The man or woman who is capable of great physical 
endurance; who is blessed with an abundance of 
patience, perseverance, and tact; who can occasionally 
^'^make something out of nothing," but who at any 
rate never fails to make the most of everything-; who 
has more or less of the detective's quality, and can see 
the connection in apparently disconnected facts; who 
can ferret out the small items concerning a transaction, 
sometimes recognized by a man of judgment to be of 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 65 

more consequence than some of the greater ones; who 
can accurately gauge the relative value of news items; 
above all, one who is alert "in season and out of 
season '' to catch quickly any item of news whether or 
not specially detailed to do it, — these are the men who 
make a name for themselves in the editor's office, and 
who have in many cases risen to fill the editor's chair. 
Such men cannot be kept in subordinate positions. 
These requirements are extensive, but not impossible. 
They are the birthright of some few favored individuals, 
and for such persons there is no more promising field of 
labor than that offered by journalism. Even among 
those who are best qualified to judge, there is a vast 
difference of opinion concerning journalistic work, its 
difficulties, pleasures, emoluments, and chances for 
promotion. But in this line of labor, as in all others, it 
is undeniably true that some men, and some women 
also, have the " gift " which peculiarly fits them for this 
employment, and no discouragement may be felt by 
such in this era of newspaper power and opportunitj^, 
which is constantly on the increase. 

SHORT-HAND WRITING. 

There is no profession in which universal knowledge 

is so much needed as in short -hand. Not only is 
3 



66 IlS^FOEMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

thoroug-h mental equipment necessary, but every 
mechanical aid and appliance is desirable, to the end 
that time and strength may be saved in the mechanism 
of his work, leaving- so much the more power to be 
given to the intellectual labor. 

Short -hand writing was invented for writers, and it 
is foolish to say that it is useless to writers, or that a 
writer can get along as well without it. Every author 
must sometimes at least copy or take notes. The use 
of short -hand is a great help in this direction; yet such 
is the difficulty of acquiring this useful art, and so 
great is the amount of practice needed in order to 
g-ive facility, that its acquisition is recommended only 
to a special class of writers, reporters for a daily news- 
paper. Just so far as the exact words of a preacher 
or of an orator are preferable to another man's faulty 
recollection of them, so far is a good short -hand report 
of a sermon, lecture, or speech preferable to one writ- 
ten out from the memory alone. It is sometimes 
claimed that constant use of short -hand in reporting 
destroys originality. The only originality desired in 
a verbatim report of any utterance is the originality 
of the speaker, not of the man who reports him. An- 
other objection occasionally made is that it destroys 
the memory. This, as well as all reasons advanced 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 67 

against the use of short-hand, is generally the opinion 
of those who are ignorant — and sometimes envious — 
of the art. A knowledge of short -hand can no more 
injure a writer than good tools can injure a carpenter, 
while even the best of tools cannot turn a poor mechanic 
into a good one, either in intellectual or mechanical 
workshops. Above all, a writer must possess good 
judgment, and to this element he can safely add any 
knowledge which he can command. 

INTERVIEWING. 

Interviewing is a distinct branch of newspaper work 
and needs a peculiar kind of ability. While some of 
the best reporters make the poorest possible kind of 
interviewers, the reverse is also sometimes true. 
Above all things, the interviewer must possess that 
nameless magnetic quality which attracts strangers, 
makes friends, and inspires confidence, — a certain 
native tact which is not so much the result of educa- 
tion as of experience. It is "gumption," pure and 
simple, in its application to a business transaction. It 
is this tact, and only this, which will tell a reporter 
how to proceed in each particular interview, — for no 
two can be any more alike than can the two different 
individuals from whom information is sought. This 



68 iisrroRMATiON for authors. 

tact will teach him to what extent it is wise to use a 
note-book, to make use of short-hand, to interrupt his 
informer. Of course much depends upon the peculi- 
arities, — or eccentricities, — of the person interviewed, 
the subject of the interview, and the object of the 
particular paper which seeks it. A good memory is 
almost indispensable to an interviewer, for to some 
persons the sig-ht of a note -book is as great a terror 
as that of a surgeon's knife; short -hand seems some 
mysterious process for rcA^ealing all their conversa- 
tional defects, and no conversation is possible unless 
carried on under ordinary circumstances. The inter- 
viewer who can sit serenely beside the interviewed, and 
without the help of note-book or pencil, absorb and 
classify the facts he has been sent to gather, will 
always find congenial and remunerative occupation. 
The man who has a real talent for this department of 
journalism, but who is not blessed with a good memory, 
will find the exact aid he needs in Prof. Loisette's 
most original and wonderful system. This is an easy 
and fascinating study, as the author of these pages 
knows from personal experience, and useful beyond 
description to the men and women whose livelihood 
depends upon the best use they can make of their 
brains. A defective memory will neutralize the most 



VAEIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 69 

brilliant effort. '' Facts are stubborn things/' indeed, 
to the reporter who is not able to carry a date in his 
mind, or to write out the exact statement he is relied 
upon to furnish. But facts are the reporter's stock in 
trade, and ever^^hing- that can assist him to success- 
fully grapple with them, has a financial value which is 
in precise proportion to their mental worth. Many 
reporters upon daily papers have, on account of their 
marked ability as interviewers, made a good reputa- 
tion for themselves, and found their success in this line 
a stepping stone to advancement. 

NEWSPAPER SYNDICATES. 

Book News, published by John Wanamaker of 
Philadelphia, gives the following information concern- 
ing Syndicates : 

''•The word ^Syndicate,' in journalistic parlance, 
signifies a combination of newspapers that publish 
simultaneously, one in each given city or region, s]Decial 
correspondence or literary matter of any kind. The 
original cost of an article or story is practically di- 
vided among the subscribing newspapers, with a cer- 
tain per cent, added as a commission to the syndicate 
manager for his actual outlay in securing and handling 
the matter. A newspaper is by this ]3lan of publica- 



70 INFOEMATIOK FOB AUTHORS. 

tion enabled to have, at a comparatively small expense, 
articles and stories of the g-reatest value, and by the 
most famous writers, that would otherwise be beyond 
its reach. The word syndicate is not applied to such 
corporations as the Associated Press, or to the Ameri- 
can Press Association. Many journalists circulate 
their own correspondence without the aid of any ag"ent 
or manager. 

" The prices paid for matter published on the syndi- 
cate plan varies g-reatl}^ The English house of Tillot- 
son & Son sometimes pays $500 for a short story by a 
noted English writer. The ordinary magazine writers 
receive from $10 to $20 per thousand words for short 
stories, while writers of established popularitj^ have 
been paid at the rate of from $20 to $50 per thousand 
words. Journalists and writers of special articles are 
paid from $10 to $50 i^er column, the average being 
about $15. The price depends upon the popularity of 
the writer and the interest of the article. The cost of 
serial stories runs from $1,000 to $10,000, according to 
the author's fame, for newspaper novels usually sell 
according to the value of the author's name as an 
advertising card that will attract readers to subscrib- 
ing- papers." 



VAEIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 71 

PLAYS. 

Like the publisher, the theatre manag-er is always 
on the alert for something- unique, something- which 
has in it the elements of a great success. As fhe pub- 
lisher instructs his readers to let nothing g-ood escape 
them lest some other house may become possessed of 
the great American novel, so the managers of our 
theatres direct their critics to carefully examine every 
MS. offered them, for fear the great American play 
may possibly be overlooked. Here, as in every other 
department of literature, an author is obliged to wait 
his turn. The play market is as over-stocked with in- 
different matter as the periodical market. Probably 
not more than one play in the hundred that wait the 
reader^s scrutiny, will ever achieve success. The 
reader of plays has scarcely the stimulus of possibility 
to sustain him, for experience has proved that a good 
drama is a very exceptional thing. It may come 
though at any moment, and the thousands of pages of 
stuff that pour into managers' offices must therefore 
be carefully gone over. 

Complaints are continually made of remissness on 
the part of manag-ers in the matter of rendering- de- 
cisions and returning- MSS. Many of these complaints 



72 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

are well founded. " I have sent and sent, and called 

and called for my play left at Theatre over a year 

ago, and not the slig-htest notice is taken either of 
written request or personal visit. What shall I do ? " 
a writer asks. 

In such a case, a lawyer is the proper person to 
apply to. The play may not be worth the paper it is 
written on, but this fact does not affect the moral 
obligation of the manager, and affords no excuse for 
an unnecessary delaj^ In sending plaj^s to managers 
it is best to observe certain business formalities. First, 
find out by letter whether the play can be read in a 
reasonable time, and if the response is satisfactory, 
request to be informed of the arrival of the MS. If a 
play is lost there is literally no redress for an author, 
unless the work has been ordered. Then the loss is 
shared between manager and writer, or some satisfac- 
tory compromise is effected. 

Dramatic composition bears no resemblance to any 
other kind of literary work. It is a mistake to suppose 
that because an author can write a dramatic novel, he 
can construct a play that will " act ; " or that a dra- 
matic novel can be easily made into a play. In the 
few instances where novels have been successfully 
dramatized, it has usually been accomplished by the 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 73 

total destruction of every element which has made the 
book popular, with the exception of the main plot and 
very few of the characters, while in most cases these 
have been chang*ed to suit the exigencies of the stage. 
With a very few exceptions the novelist has always 
been obliged to collaborate with a playwright, or some 
one familiar with stage business. The novelist has 
several hundred pages to roam over at will. His char- 
acters can discourse upon everything in heaven and 
earth. They can have plenty of time to fall in love, 
fall out again, fall ill, convalesce and die, and the more 
trying situations tliere are the better. Such situa- 
tions, properly arranged, make a dramatic novel, but 
it is doubtful if one of the author's thrilling combina- 
tions would be dramatic upon the stage. In a play 
the events of a life-time must be crowded into two 
hours and a half of time, and four acts, — each act con- 
taining from ten to twenty pages, — are deemed quite 
sufficient for the purpose. The dialogue of a play 
must be brilliant and telling, but a single remark that 
does not point directly to the plot or the evolution of 
the characters, be it never so sparkling, is a fault 
which the sharp-eyed manager will instantly detect. 

The statement that it is utterly impossible for an 
author to write an "acting play" without a practical 



74 ■ IlS^FOKMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

.knowledge of stag-e business, will discourage some and 
be resented by others, but it is a fact that admits of 
no qualification. To become possessed of such knowl- 
edge is not easy. A careful reading of standard plays 
will be of some assistance, but an experience behind 
the scenes, a chance to become acquainted with the 
stage manager and stage carpenter, a careful noting 
of the thousand and one important things that help to 
produce the successful play, are absolutely necessary. 
All this is difficult enough for a man, but for a ^voman 
it is well nigh impossible. In view of such obstacles, 
the wisest thing for the author who feels the dramatic 
inspiration, is to w^rite out the plot, describe the char- 
acters, suggest the situations and climaxes, and sub- 
mit the whole to a professional critic, who, in the event 
of a favorable verdict will provide the necessary col^ 
laborator, — the man who has made stage business a 
study and succeeded as a play-wright. By this means, 
the battle is more than half won. The collaborator 
having a pecuniary, as well as a professional, interest 
in the work, and an intimate acquaintance with man- 
agers, will know when, where, and how to bring it to 
the notice of the public, and in such a shape that the 
chances will be largely in its favor. 



YAEIETIES OF LITEEAKY WORK. 75 

LITERARY CRITICISM. 

It is proverbial that we must judg-e of the streng-th 
of a chain by the strength of its weakest hnk, but this 
method is not applicable to any literary- production. 
In this direction it is the average excellence which 
must determine the estimate of the whole. Certainly 
the strongest and most brilliant iDassages are not to 
be accepted as a standard of measurement for the whole 
book or article, nor are the weakest and least interest- 
ing. There is presumably a certain degree of merit in 
every form of literary work; it will jDrobably vary 
from page to page as does the record of the ther- 
mometer from day to day, but it is alwa^^s possible in 
the aggregate to determine its average standing. 
This average is the plane upon which the author's 
work must be judged. 

Both literary and dramatic criticism have become 
degraded under the universal money-making interest 
which dominates our countr^^ Criticism to be valu- 
able must above all things be honest, and this it can 
never be when its praise or its blame becomes a matter 
of dollars and cents. Moreover, no criticism can be 
worth anything unless the critic is competent by 
nature and education to form and pronounce judgment, 



76 IKFOEMATION FOR AIJTHOES. 

but " boug-ht-up '' criticism necessarily ig-nores all such 
qualifications. To be competent by nature, signifies 
the possession of a liberal, far-sig-hted, and unprej- 
udiced spirit, as well as a charitable and generous 
one. The education which must accompany this 
should be of the broadest nature and a continually 
growing one. ISTo criticism is of the least value which 
is based upon personal taste or preference instead of 
general principles, or without an exhaustive knowledge 
of the subject treated. The critic should, above all 
persons, be thoroughly " posted '' in all human interest, 
present and past; he should be a universal reader; a 
close and logical thinker and reasoner. A great re- 
form is needed in this direction. The establishment 
of international copyright will do much for authors; 
a reform in methods of criticism, or the manner in 
which authors deal with the work and reputation of 
other authors, is the next greatest help and encourage- 
ment to be looked for, and it must originate not in any 
act of Congress, but in the esprit de corps of the pro- 
fession itself. 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Although pictures are not, strictly considered, any 
part of literary work, the use of illustrations has be- 



VARIETIES OF LITERARY WORK. 77 

come so common that it is a very natural question with 
authors whether the abihty to draw, and thereby illus- 
trate one's own productions, is not a passport to favor 
in the eyes of an editor. Publishers do not agree con- 
cerning* this point. Artists who make a business of 
illustrating books and magazines find steady and pro- 
fitable employment, and, as a rule, an editor who is 
pleased with an article can without any delay or diffi- 
culty have suitable illustrations furnished for it, pre- 
ferring in some cases to dictate as to the special places 
for illustration. Often old " cuts " on hand in the office 
are used if suitable, thereby saving the expense of new 
drawings. It is not worth while, considering the 
present artistic facility of the press, for any author to 
spend much time or money in procuring illustrations 
in the hope that the article submitted will thereby 
prove more acceptable. It will always be judged 
solely on its literary merit, and while the illustrations 
will doubtless add to its appearance and interest, they 
will by no means insure, or even influence, its accept- 
ance. 



78 INFOllMATIOI^r ¥0R AUTHORS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

MANUSCRIPTS. 

Influence with Editors— Readers of MSS. — Prompt Examina- 
tion of MSS. — Prices Paid by Different Periodicals — The 
Editor's Blue Pencil — Pseudonyms — Copyrighting of MSS. 
— Mendicant Literature — Rejected MSS. — Discouragement 
of Authors. 

INFLUENCE WITH EDITORS. 

The assumption that influence has anything to do 
with the acceptance of MS. is a great mistake. There 
is nothing more likely to prejudice one whose business 
it is to read and decide upon the merit of an article 
than a letter of introduction or an appeal to sympathy. 
The same principle holds as in other mercantile busi- 
ness. The butcher does not care who raises the beef, 
which, being of the best quality, his customers gladly 
pay well for. Writers should understand this great 
truth, — that editors are as anxious to get hold of good 
material as the writers are to secure fame and fortune. 
It is a mutual benefit. 

An editor sells goods as truly as does the grocer or 



MANUSCEIPTS. 79 

the silk inercliant. His g-oocls, to be sure, are the prod- 
ucts of the brain, not of the farm or of the loom; but 
it is as much for his interest to sell good stories and 
good poems, as for the grocer to sell good sugar, or the 
merchant to sell good calico. We can scarcely imagine 
a farmer going to a grocer with the remark, " I know 
these potatoes are almost worthless, but I need a new 
winter overcoat, and so you will please buy them at 
your regular rates," or the manufacturer saying to 
the merchant, " This cloth will very likely fall to pieces 
as soon as it is worn, but I w^ant to enlarge my factory 
and so you will please buy my goods/^ Yet this is pre- 
cisely the principle upon which many writers approach 
editors. " My mother is sick," or " I can't pay my 
rent," or, " I want a new summer bonnet," is often 
supposed to be sufficient reason for an editor to pur- 
chase literary productions with little, if an}^, reference 
to their value. 

An editor, like any other business man, buys only 
what he wants, and of as good a quality as he can get. 
What he buys he expects to sell again, and the daih^, 
weekly, or monthly publication is the counter over 
which he deals with his customers. They will hMj his 
goods if they like them and want them, not because 
the editor needs money to pay a doctor's bill or to meet 



80 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

the demand of his kindlord. There is no more mis- 
taken notion than that an editor's office is a charity 
bureau. 

Every writer may rely upon the fact that the merit 
of the article submittel is the only thing with which 
the editor is concerned. He is constantly on the alert 
to discover something- interesting, and, if possible, 
novel and unique, to offer to his readers. It is a ques- 
tion if, when successful in his search, he does not ex- 
perience as much satisfaction as the contributor. 

READERS OF MSS. 

In no place is the law of " the survival of the fittest " 
more thoroughly exemplified than in an editor's ofiice. 
In large newspaper and magazine offices, there are 
usually three readers of MSS. It is the duty of the 
first one to reject from the mass offered by each mail 
those which are manifestly unworthy of any attention. 
The remainder is read with a view to selecting the 
best for a second examination. The second reader 
culls from this number those which in his judgment 
are most acceptable, and from these the third reader 
selects the number required for use. 



MAlSrUSCRIPTS. 81 

PROMPT EXAMINATION OF MSS. 

There is nothing- so gladdening- to the heart of an 
author as dispatch in deciding- upon the availability of 
his work. To the experienced and generally success- 
ful writer a quick return is better than a tardy accept- 
ance. Authors can alwaj^s depend upon Harper & 
Brothers, Perry Mason & Co. of the " Youth's Compan- 
ion/' W. Jennings Deniorest of "Demorest's Monthly 
Magazine/' IST. Y., and Forrest Morgan of the " Travel- 
ler's Record/" Hartford, Conn., for immediate decisions. 
Two weeks is the utmost limit required at either place, 
and in the majority of instances returns are even more 
speedy than this. There may be others just as prompt, 
but the editors of the above-mentioned periodicals 
make quick examinations a specialty. Short, bright, 
and sometimes amusing stories and articles are those 
most craved by the editor of Demorest's. "The 
Traveler's Record " is noted for its exceptionally fine 
poetry. 

LITERARY COMPENSATION. 

To give the information requested in regard to the 
prices paid for literary work by the editors of our 
numerous periodicals, is not an easy task. It is even 
difficult for editors themselves to furnish such fiarures 



82 ITTFORMATIOTT FOR AUTHORS. 

on account of the necessarily varying- schedule. But 
many of them have been most kind in their attempts 
to serve the readers of this volume. 

The usual rate paid contributors by Harper & Bros, 
is $10 per thousand words. To popular authors, ten 
times this amount is doubtless given, and here the 
prices vary again according to the amount of success 
achieved. The "Century Magazine" pays from $10 
to $100 per page for prose. There are no regular rates 
for poetry. Messrs. Hay and Nicolay receive $50,000 
for the Magazine right to use the " Life of Lincoln," 
which continues three years. Here, as elsewhere, the 
value to the Magazine is the principal thing considered. 
At " Lippincott's Magazine," prices vary from $5 to $50 
per page, according to the reader's estimate of the 
article. The editor of this Magazine very kindly offers 
the following suggestion : " It would be a good plan 
to tell your readers that manuscripts had better be 
addressed informally to the ^Editor of So and So.^ 
Many of the vexatious delays of which writers com- 
plain come from the fact that their articles have not 
gone through the hands of the clerk, who is always a 
better business man than the editor, and whose mission 
it is to see that MSS. are entered, checked, and re- 
turned." 



MAITUSCEIPTS. 83 

The price paid by the " Forum " is never below $10 
per thousand words, and rarely above $50, "but any 
attempt/^ writes the editor, " to name a rate between 
these would g'ive an incorrect impression. Most of 
the matter that appears in the "• Forum'^ is written by 
invitation/' 

The " Cong-regationalisf of Boston pays liberally 
for all matter. Articles adapted to the outside page 
receive a hig^her rate of compensation than those used 
on the other pages. " Our prices vary all the way from 
a small sum per column or per article to a very large 
sum/' the editor writes. " We endeavor to pay what- 
ever the matter seems to be worth to us and such sum 
as is satisfactory to the writer. It should be added 
that we pa3^ for all articles, and do not ask any one to 
write without compensation.'' 

The '' Christian Union " rates are also generous, and 
" The Independent " has alwa^^s been distinguished for 
its appreciative treatment of its authors. 

The " Sunday School Times " of Philadelphia has no 
specified rates, but experience has proved their usual 
rates fair. From $5 to $10 for poems, and the same 
amounts for short prose articles, are paid to the 
ordinary writer. The editor of the '^Christian at 
Work " reports the prices of that paper as " not differ- 



84 INFOEMATIOIS^ FOR AUTHOES. 

ing* materially from the larg-e relig-ious weeklies/^ It 
is impossible to g-ive the prices paid by all these peri- 
odicals. Among- those of the larg-est circulation, the 
writers of poetry are well remunerated. Very few of 
them pay less than $5 for a poem, and sometimes $10 
and $15 are g-iven. Many of these papers, that can not 
afford to pay the best prices for contributions, refuse 
to give information as to their rates. This is unfortu- 
nate, because many excellent articles are declined by 
our mag-azines on account of lack of space which the 
writers would be g-lad to place at reduced prices if 
they only understood the market. Even $2 per 
column, or sometimes $2 for an article, would be g-ladly 
accepted in many cases by the authors of really valu- 
able and helpful matter. 

The same rule obtains in the secular as in the re- 
ligious weeklies. Mrs. Frank Leslie, for instance, pays 
$3 to $10 per prose column. Eobert Bonner^s Sons, of 
the " New York Ledger," give $10 for a poem or short 
story. In both these instances, as in every other, the 
successful author is remunerated according to the 
value of his work to the periodical. This average is so 
well kept in our story papers that to mention them 
all would be a work of supererogation. 

Careful inquiry and a wide experience proves that 



MANUSCRIPTS. 85 

ten dollars a thousand words can be safely fixed upon 
as the average price paid for prose by our leading- 
periodicals. 

The comic papers pay well, but are generally 
crowded. To send a long story to a comic paper is to 
insure its return. Seven hundred words are quite 
sufiacient; four hundred, better still. 

THE editor's blue PENCIL. 

Every editor is aware that a rejected article usually 
finds its way to other literary markets, and that to 
deface a MS. with blue pencil, or other marks, makes 
an entire copying of the page necessary. When it 
happens that the author (as is frequently the case) has 
no more paper like that of the returned MS., the whole 
article has to be copied. This is an act of cruelty on 
the part of editors, though in no instance is it ever in- 
tended as such. It is easier to hastily jot down the 
number of stamps received on the first page of the MS. 
than to make an entry in a book, but it is very unjust 
to the writer, and is a practice that should be stopped. 

PSEUDONYMS. 

The adoption of a fanciful or alliterative " pen-name " 
belonged to an earlier and more sentimental period of 



86 INFORMATIOlSr FOE AUTHORS. 

literature than that of the present stirring* time. It 
is of course a matter of personal taste or convenience, 
but has often led to much inconvenience in cases of 
persons who have later become famous. When the 
picture and the real name of such an author become 
the property of the public, it is a hard matter to keep 
the two names from becoming- confused, or to cor- 
rectly discriminate between them. Of course if the 
possession of a grotesque or disagreeable name makes 
its use undesirable or detrimental, or one's modesty 
shrinks from " the sight of his name in print," there is 
no reason why another one should not be chosen. But 
under ordinary circumstances it is better on every 
account to use one's own name. 

There is a great deal "in a name" when it has 
acquired a certain commercial value. It carries with 
it almost the only form of " influence " which can ever 
be brought to bear upon editors, and decisions of this 
matter by writers who have any reasonable expectation 
of ever " making a name " for themselves, should be 
the result of careful thought, rather than of hasty im- 
pulse. 

COPYRIGHTING OF MSS. 

James Russell Lowell declares that "there is one 
thing better than a good book, and that is a book 



MANUSCRIPTS. 87 

honestly come hy." It is certainly to be hoped that 
before long- Congress may be broug-ht, throug-h the 
efforts of Mr. Lowell and his associates, to recognize 
the rig-ht of an author to the product of his own brains. 
Government has for years protected iron, wool, and 
cotton, but intellectual products have been the property 
of any country which chose to take them, and authors 
have suffered accordingly. This they must continue 
to do until they can as a class bring enough power to 
bear upon our legislature to compel them to recognize 
international copyright, — a matter which can be ac- 
complished only by earnest and persistent work upon 
the part of these interested in securing this simple 
justice. 

Says Dr. Yan Dyke on this subject, in his article on 
" The National Sin of Literary Piracy,'' " It is idle to 
blame the men who print and sell books; indeed, it 
would be unjust, for the respectable publishers, heartily 
sick of the demoralized condition of their trade, are 
now united with the authors in protesting that the 
present condition of affairs is shameful and must be 
changed. The only thing that can prevent or delay 
such a change is the moral apathy of decent people 
and their willingness to buy chea]3 goods without ask- 
ing whether they are honest. This is what needs to be 



88 INFORMATIOI^ FOR AUTHORS. 

broken up. The public conscience must be quickened." 
Copyright entry can be made in the name of any 
United States resident^ whether temporary or perma- 
nent; also by any citizen or native of the United States 
living- abroad. The ultimate validity of copyright is 
determined by the courts. In 1838 a case was tried in 
which it was held that permanent residence is neces- 
sary to maintain copyright, but the decision has not 
been affirmed by a higher tribunal, the United States 
Supreme Court. 

The process of copyrighting a book is simplicity it- 
self, so far as the author is concerned; so simple, in 
fact, as to recall the old story of the laborer who merely 
carried a hod-full of bricks up a ladder, and the man 
at the top did all the work. Have a copy of the 
title-ioage of your intended book struck off by the 
nearest printer, or a type-writer, before the MS. goes 
to press. Enclose this title-page, and a one-dollar bill, 
in a note addressed to Hon. A. P. Spofford, Librarian 
of Congress, Washington, D. C. The note may read 
somewhat in this style : — " Herewith is the title-page 
of a book which I am about to publish. Enclosed 
please find one dollar ($1.00) copyright fee. Copies of 
book will be sent as soon as issued." Sign with your 
full name and residence. You will receive in return 



MANUSCRIPTS. 89 

various and sundry documents^ which are to be pre- 
served, and two copies of the book must be sent to 
Mr. Spofford before it is put into circulation. 

That is all, for '' the man at the top of the ladder 
does all the work.'' 



This is the title most appropriately g'iven to the 
great mass of gratuitous contributions furnished for 
the press by those who can afford to write without 
compensation, and those who love to see themselves in 
print. Such contributions crowd out of the literary 
ranks many a needy and capable writer. There is no 
reason why a rich scribe with something to say should 
not say it, but let him, out of justice to the poor one, 
demand his pay. By such a course both writers will 
be judged by their merits, and this is just. It is an 
open question whether '^ the good of the cause,'' which 
furnishes the excuse for so much gratuitous writing, is 
ever good enough to warrant the writer who does not 
need, in crowding out the one who does. 

REJECTED MSS. 

It is one of the technicalities of an editor's corre- 
spondence with contributors that "the rejection of an 



90 i]S'roRMATio:N' for authors. 

article does not necessarily imply lack of merit." This 
is the statement of a broad, g-eneral fact. At present 
the supply of g-ood literary work is far in excess of the 
demand, and a larg-e proportion must be rejected 
simply because there is a definite limit to the amount 
of matter which each publication can use. 

Another common cause for the rejection of MSS. is 
that much of it which is good in itself is unfit for the 
publication to which it is submitted. There is nothing- 
more necessary for writers to understand than the 
special character of the periodical to which they send 
contributions. A relig-ious newspaper has no use for 
even the best written and most absorbing- love story, 
nor a fashion paper for a scholarly essay on the moral 
virtues. Althoug-h it is preposterous to expect an 
editor to g-ive reasons for the rejection of a MS., one is 
occasionally moved to volunteer some information con- 
cerning- a particularly g-ood paper in which he perceives 
much merit, but which is unavailable for his purpose, 
as, for instance, " Our paper advocates the interests of 
the poorer classes, and we cannot publish stories of 
fashionable hf e," or, " The policy of our paper is to 
refrain from pubhshing- any article containing- political 
or relig-ious references," or, " Your hero eats beef and 
drinks wine. As our mag-azine is devoted to hygienic 



MANUSCRIPTS. 91 

reform, and discourag'es the use of animal food and 
intoxicating- liquors, you can see that we cannot 
present our readers with such a story." The farmer 
does not carry his onions to a confectionery store, and 
a writer should as little think of sending- his essay on 
the '' Science of Evolution " to the Weekly Joker, or 
his verses on "My Lady's Lovers" to the Monthly 
Moral Mirror. Yet simple as this truth is, it is 
equally true that a mass of MSS., which, if sent to suit- 
able places might have a fair chance of finding- accept- 
ance, wanders daily up and down the earth in quest of 
a purchaser. A writer should study the general char- 
acter of a publication to which he intends to contrib- 
ute, the length and general tone of its articles or 
stories, and as far as possible adapt his work to the 
particular market for which it is intended. Experi- 
ence is a great aid in this direction; in fact it is almost 
the only means by which a writer can become fairly 
sure of the field, so that whatever reason there may 
be for the rejection of a MS. he may at least have the 
assurance that it is not on account of unsuitability to 
the publication. 

The length of an article is often its only condemna- 
tion. It simply will not fit into the place for which it 
is intended and therefore it is thrown aside, — and 



92 INFOEMATIOIS^ FOE AUTHORS. 

sometimes with regret, — as a mason rejects a stone 
too larg-e for the niche in the wall which he is building". 
Many writers shrink almost as much from cutting the 
offspring of their brains as they would from using the 
knife upon their children. Every line, and every word 
of every line, is dear to them. Editors so generally 
recog-nize this fact that they seldom suggest the short- 
ening- of any article, even if its length is its only objec- 
tion. The suitable length of a contribution can gen- 
erally be determined by a study of the publication for 
which it is designed. 

The large class of writers who assume that the 
chief aim of an editor's life is to disappoint and dis- 
courage authors, are prone to doubt that their MSS. 
have been examined, implying- that if they had been, 
acceptance would be a foregone conclusion. They tell 
of various devices by which they have tested the case — 
for instance, by slightly fastening together the sheets, 
inserting bits of hair or cotton between the pag-es, 
etc., etc. A MS. reader can often tell by a glance at 
a page or two whether or not the whole article is 
worth reading, as truly as a customer at a counter 
can judge by examining a yard of silk whether she 
would care for the whole piece of goods. Many MSS. 
are a flash in the pan from the very first sentence. 



MANUSOKIPTS. 93 

They start off like wet fireworks or a rusty machine, 
and the first page of the production condemns all the 
rest of it. 

DISCOURAGEMENT OF AUTHORS. 

There is no reason why writers should suffer from 
discourag'ement any more than any other class of the 
world's workers. A good article, poem, or story, 
though it may be rejected nine times, may possibly 
find a lodgment at the tenth trial, and this experience 
is by no means an uncommon one. It is simply a case 
of " Try, try again," and the work needs patience, as 
well as ability and industry. If the ability is lacking, 
however, neither patience nor industry can avail, and 
where a writer is uncertain of his own power it is well 
to submit the matter to a qualified and disinterested 
critic. " The Author's Bureau " has been established 
for this purpose, and for a small fee, honest and prompt 
judgment will be passed upon every article submitted 
for examination, and suggestions made concerning any 
desirable change. Many writers have really brilliant 
ideas, but are not able to clothe them correspondingly. 
Such literary wardrobe is supplied by the "Author's 
Bureau," the advertisement of which will be found at 
the back of this volume. 



94 INrOEMATIO:N^ FOE AUTHOES. 



CHAPTER YII. 

EDITORS. 

Correspondence with Editors — Responsibility for MSS. — Post- 
age Stamps — Pigeon-holing of MSS. 

Editors are neither myths nor monstrosities, though 
writers are sometimes tempted to believe them one or 
the other. As a class they are no more remiss in 
correspondence than ordinary individuals, yet there 
are sometimes cases of vexatious delay in letter -writ- 
ing-, decisions concerning MSS., etc., which lead im- 
patient and impulsive writers to denounce the whole 
fraternity. 

CORRESPONDENCE WITH EDITORS. 

The rules which govern the conduct of business 
vary in different editorial offices. Of course some 
editors are more prompt, explicit, and generally satis- 
factory than others, but as a rule it will be found that 
all apparent neglect or delay, no matter how annoying 
it ma^^ be, is the legitimate result of an accumulation 



EDITORS. 95 

of business, and an observance of the rule, " First come, 
first served/^ 

Editors are busy men. Their work necessitates an 
ironclad adherence to special days and seasons, and a 
half hour of an editor's time is sometimes worth more 
than half a day of some other man's. For this reason, 
calls upon an editor in his sanctum are not only un- 
necessary, but extremely annoying*. To appear before 
so busy a man with article in hand, either to read or to 
g-ive to him, does not predispose him to a favorable judg- 
ment, while if an author calls for the purpose of ascer- 
taining* whether or not an article has been accepted, 
the editor might well be pardoned for hoping that it 
had been rejected and that the writer would be too 
discouraged to call again. The mail service is usually 
amply sufficient for the transaction of business between 
author and editor, to the immense saving- of the time 
of both, and sometimes the temper as well. 

RESPONSIBILITY FOR MSS. 

As editors do not hold themselves responsible for 
MS. which is lost in any way, it is a proper plan for 
authors to preserve a copy of what they write. It 
sometimes happens that articles disappear or g-o 
astray in the mails, and occasionally — though fortu- 



96 INFORMATIOIS^ FOR AUTHORS. 

nately only occasionally — that they are mislaid and 
lost in the editor's office. About five years ago a 
voluminous MS. book disappeared in a most mys- 
terious manner from the desk of a reader in one of the 
most prominent Boston publishing- houses. As it has 
never been found, the probability is that it was de- 
stroyed in the office by mistake, and though the firm 
presented the author with a sum of money as partial 
compensation, it was with the distinct understanding 
that the payment was a matter of courtesy and could 
not be legally enforced. 

POSTAGE STAMPS. 

" In cases where MSS. are accepted for publication, 
why do not the editors return the stamps that neces- 
sarily accompany such contributions to the author ? " 
This is a question that has frequently been asked, and 
at first glance seems a perfectly proper one. The 
reason is that such a proceeding would involve too 
much book-keeping and letter-writing, without any 
adequate reason for either. In a busy periodical office 
the service of an extra clerk would be necessary for 
such a purpose. So the value of the stamps is returned 
to the author in the amount received for his contri- 
bution. 



EDITORS. 97 

PIGEON-HOLING OF MSS. 

It is customary in some offices to send word to a 
contributor that his article has been received and will 
be duly examined. This, gratifying- as it is as proof 
that the MS. has safely reached its destination, is the 
exception rather than the rule. In most cases its fate 
is not known until it is returned by mail, or its equiv- 
alent sent in the form of a check. The interval be- 
tween the sending of an article and the response con- 
cerning it, varies greatly in different offices. 

Of course the work of a writer is his business 
capital, his stock in trade, and it is only fair that an 
editor should so regard it. There is, however, too 
little editorial recognition of this fact, and writers as a 
class should combine their efforts towards effecting 
some reform in this direction. There is no reason why 
a MS., if worth only $5 to an author, should be kept 
waiting months for a decision concerning it, and as 
many months more for publication, unless, indeed, 
this latter point is understood by the author and 
agreed to by him. The interest on $5 in twelve 
months would purchase at least a few postage stamps, 
which to a writer are "always handy to have in the 
family.^"* In this matter, as in man}^ others, organiza- 



98 INFOEMATION FOE AUTHORS. 

tion and co-operation can do much, and if eacli author 
will make it a point to insist upon his rights in this 
particular, a new order of things may sometime be 
brought about. 



THE MAKING 0¥ BOOKS. 99 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE MAKING OF BOOKS. 

Paper and Ink— Appearance of MS.— General Suggestions— 
The Preparation of ' ' Copy " — Printing — Manuscript 
Proofs— Author and Pubhsher. 

Although many of the following hints regarding 
the preparation of MS. have already been given in the 
book, the exact words of one firm, — the popular pub- 
lishers, Cassell & Company, Limited, of 104 and 106 
Fourth Avenue, New York, and London, will be found 
particularly useful and interesting. 

PAPER AND INK. 

Buy white or manilla paper, made into pads if these 
are preferred, the size of the page no larger than that 
known as commercial note. " If you must have ruled 
paper, have it,^^ says the publisher, " but your writing 
master has not done his duty by you if you have not 
learned to write a straight line without artificial aid. 
If your paper is to be ruled, select that known to 
stationers as ^sermon paper,^ as the lines are far 

L-4 o. 



100 II^FORMATIO]^ FOR AUTHORS. 

apart. Next^ write with black ink. If you want the 
' reader ' of the puhhshing* house to whom you send 
your manuscript to hate you^ use violet ink. By the 
time the pages reach the twenties, the reader^s eyes 
begin to smart and burn, and an unpleasant dizziness 
is the result. By the end of half an hour he will throw 
your story into a drawer and leave it there as long as 
possible. If, in spite of the ink he accepts it, the curse 
of the compositor will be upon you." 

APPEARANCE OP MS. 

" Do not write in a blank book, or have the leaves 
bound or tied. It tires the reader's hand to hold sucti 
MS. Have the pages loose, so that he can take up a 
few at a time, and remember that to roll manuscript 
is a more heinous sin than to use violet ink. Many 
readers decline to examine rolled pages. These pro- 
fessional critics are human, and are always prejudiced 
against an ill- written, slovenly looking page of fools- 
cap, prepared with pale ink. If the author is so care- 
less about his work, how can he expect the reader to 
feel any interest in it ? Some MSS. have the pages 
fastened with ribbon, the title page written out in 
elaborate old English text, with symbolic initial letters 
at the head of the chapters. One can feel pretty sure 



THE MAKI]N-a OF BOOKS. 101 

that such matter will not be worth the reading*. An 
author who has so much time to devote to useless 
work is not likely to have much to say that is worth 
hearing-.^' 

Messrs. Cassell & Co. show with no little pride the 
MSS. of three of their authors. Miss M. G. McClelland, 
Miss Caroline B. Le Row, and Sidney Luska. These 
MSS. are perfect in every particular, and Miss Le- 
Row^s chirography is as legible as the best type-writ ■ 
ing. The fact that well-prepared copy should be on 
exhibition in a publisher's ofhce, tells a sad story of its 
exceeding rarity. 

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. 

It would be well for the writer to pin the following 
rules over his desk : 
I. Write with black ink on white paper. 
II. Number the pages carefully and use sheets of 
uniform size. 

III. Write only on one side of the sheet. 

IV. Write plainly and print with pen any proper 

name that may be at all unusual. 
Y. Never roll a manuscript. If too thick to fold, 
send it flat between bits of thick paste-board. 



102 INFOKMATIOlNr FOR AUTHORS. 

THE PREPARATION OF " COPY/' 

On this subject Messrs. Cassell & Co. recommend, 
first, the use of the type-writer. The charg-es for this 
work are probably the same all over the country, — 
five cents for a hundred words. By this slight ex- 
penditure the author not only sends an attractive MS. 
to the publisher, but can furnish himself with a copy 
which is sometimes of inestimable value. In response 
to the question whether publishers are ever responsible 
for the loss of MS., Mr. O. M. Dunham replied that 
they never were for " unsolicited manuscript.'^ " Pub- 
lishers take every precaution," he added, " and while 
MSS. are in their possession lock them up in fire-proof 
safes, but publishers, with all the rest of the world, are 
liable to accidents.'' 

"After an author has written out his story or bio- 
graphy, or whatever it may be, let him read it over 
carefully, marking' the paragraphs, and underlining- 
the words he wishes to have italicized. It is a good 
rule for an autlior to proof-read his writings in manu- 
script, for in so doing, he will save himself and his 
publishers much unnecessary expense. 

"In marking paragraphs this is the sign used by 
printers If. "When you want a word all in capitals 



THE MAKING OF BOOKS. 108 

draw three horizontal Unes under it. If the first letter 
of the Avord is to be capitalized underline it with three 
short lines. If you use a word of French or any other 
foreig-n tong-ue, he sure to write it plainly. It is far 
better to avoid foreign words, using them only when 
necessary. It is a mistake of young writers to think 
that the use of foreign words gives an air of learning 
to their pages. On the contrary, it is a proof of 
juvenility, and means that the writer has a foreign 
dictionary at hand. If the author wishes to add any- 
thing to what has been written, let it be added in the 
manuscript. If more than a few words, write on the 
margin, and mark very carefully on the page just where 
it is to be inserted. These interlineations and addi- 
tions should be written with a different colored ink, 
red or violet. There is no objection to violet for this 
purpose. Many authors are very careless in the 
preparation of work for the printer, and sometimes 
every word has to be gone over by the editor for the 
purpose of dotting the I's, crossing the T's, and the 
careful spelling- out of proper names." 

PRINTING. 

" When a MS. reaches the compositor's hands it is 
called 'copy.' The foreman of the composing room 



104 INFOKMATION FOE AUTHORS. 

receives it, and cuts each pag-e up into strips of about 
three or four inches in width, which are called ' takes/ 
These are distributed among- the compositors, so that 
it is seldom that a man has a consecutive story to 
'set.' Each of these 'takes' is numbered, and as 
they are set up, the type is lifted into ' galleys,' — long- 
pans of brass with wooden sides, the width of the 
column or page. When a g-alley is filled, proofs are 
' pulled,' and these are called ' galley proofs,' and are 
the first the author receives. These must be read with 
the greatest care, and all important corrections made 
on them. If certain words are too near together, make 
a mark like this y\ between them, and like this -^ on 
the margin opposite. If two words are transposed, as 
'cat that' instead of 'that cat,' draw a line under 
the bottom of ' that ' and continue it over the top of 
' cat,' while on the margin you Avill write ' transfer ' 
or 'tr.' Where capitals are needed, mark a line 
under the letter, and three lines on the margin. If the 
Avord is to be italicized, draw a line under it, and write 
' ital.' on the margin opposite the word. If certain 
lines are too near together, draw a line between them 
and write 'lead' on the margin. If a letter is turned 
up-side down, draw a line under it and make this sign 
9 on the margin. To add a word or paragraph. 



THE MAKING OF BOOKS". 105 

write it on the margin and make this sig-n /\ where 
you wish it inserted, drawing a Une from the /y to 
the added word. These are the signs in common use. 
For more instruction, consult a sample of proof read- 
ing in the back of Webster's Unabridged Dictionar3\" 

MAXUSCRIPT PROOFS. 

"After the galley proofs have been read, they are re- 
turned to the printer. It is a good plan to make cor- 
rections in a different colored ink from that used by 
the publishers^ proof-reader, whose hands they have 
passed through before reaching' yours. Yv^hen the 
proofs are returned to the printer, the corrections are 
at once made and the ^galleys' are made uj) into 
pages. It is well to see these revised proofs before 
they are ' cast,"* but this is not always possible, for few 
printing houses have enough type to be able to hold 
it ' locked up ' for any length of time. The next proofs 
are ' foundry proofs.' That is, electrotype plates have 
been made from the tyx^e pages and the type has 
been 'distributed.' With these ' foundry proof s ' the 
' galley proofs ' are sent, so that the author can see 
whether all the corrections marked have been made. 
This is the time to be careful about making changes, 
for it i& an expensive thing to do after the pages have 



106 INFORM atio:n^ for authors. 

been electrotyped. To change a word, a piece of the 
metal plate has to he cut out, and another with the 
new word soldered in. 'Overrunning-' must not be 
done in the page proofs. If the author does this he 
must pay the cost. Instances have been known where 
the corrections of an author have absorbed all the 
profits of his book. If it is necessary to change a 
sentence, one must be substituted with the same num- 
ber of words and letters, so that the page will not be 
overrun.-" 

AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER. 

"As may be judged from the elaborate processes to 
be gone through with, book making is somewhat ex- 
pensive. The plates, paper, and binding for a single 
volume may cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. 
It depends upon the size of the type, the number of 
pages, the quality of the paper, the illustrations, style 
of binding, and numberless other things. And yet 
there are authors who do not take the expense of pub - 
lication into account. 'Mj book retails for a dollar 
and I get only ten cents a copy. That means ninety 
cents for the publisher,' the dissatisfied writer some- 
times remarks. Let us see if he is right. The book 
retails for one dollar, but does that dollar go to the 



THE MAKING OF BOOKS. 107 

publisher ? ' Forty off ' is no uncommon rate to the 
trade, and frequently 'half off' is often asked and 
given in these days of lively competition. With ' forty 
off ' and ten cents to the author, we have fifty cents. 
The hook, after averaging- the expense, costs about 
twenty-five cents; this leaves twenty-five for the pub- 
lisher, out of which come the costs of ' press copies ' — 
a hundred or more, the cost of advertising in the news- 
papers, the printing and distribution of show cards 
and catalogues, all of which expense is the publisher's. 
Then the publisher takes all the risks. If the book is 
a failure, and on this subject he is wholly in the dark, 
the loss is entirely his." 

Yet, notwithstanding the apparent one-sidedness of 
this arrangement, the publisher is alwaj^s eager for 
manuscripts. There is an idea among certain people 
that it is only the tried and found-popular authors 
who have any chance with publishers — that there is a 
clique of "ins" who shut the door in the face of the 
" outs." This is a great mistake. " Manuscripts are 
what we publishers are after," said Mr. Dunham, "for 
we are always expecting the great American novel, 
and it is impossible to say how, or from whom, it will 
come. Every manuscript that comes to this office re- 
ceives the most careful attention, and the author is not 



108 INFORMATION^ FOR AUTHORS. 

more pleased to have his book accepted than we are 
to pubhsh it. The unknown author stands an equal 
chance with the known. It is merit that we want — 
the fame will follow. Usually a MS. is given to more 
than one reader; sometimes half a dozen opinions are 
necessary.^' 

Publishers are always glad to hear from new authors. 
Let the writers bear in mind this simple fact, and he 
will not think that his MS. has been returned to him 
unread. A reader's mind is too constantly tortured 
by the fear that he may reject a good story to allow^ 
of his neglecting a MS. He know^s that the same MS. 
will be sent to other houses. Suppose another reader, 
more astute than he, sees its possibilities, writes a 
good opinion of it, and it is published and makes the 
sensation of the year. Fancy the first reader's 
chagrin ! Fifty rejections cannot compare with it. 



THE AUTHOK-PUBLISHER. 109 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE AUTHOR-PUBLISHER. 

Reasons for Publishing One^s Own Work— Risks and Costs of 
Publication — Method of Publication, 

REASONS FOR PUBLISHING ONE'S OWN WORK. 

No fact more striking"ly marks the growth of ideas 
and the decadence of literary conservatism, than that 
authors in many instances are now publishing their 
own books. Formerly, it was only the writer who had 
made money and reputation who dared embark in 
such an enterprise, and he was spurred on by the 
thought of the larger amount he might have made had 
he not bound himself to accept a ten per cent, royalty. 
And here let it be stated that there should always be 
a clause in every contract between authors and pub- 
lishers, providing for an increase of royalty in case of 
" a hit.^^ The impossibility of making such arrange- 
ments as would benefit the author as well as the pub- 
lisher, has had much to do with writers assuming the 
responsibility of publication. 



110 INFORMATIOl^ FOR AUTHORS. 

Another reason for authors issuing- their own books 
is the failure to have them accepted by pubUshers. 
Such writers feel^ and often quite properly, that their 
work is equal, if not superior, to much that is sent 
broadcast over the earth, and so after a series of dis- 
appointments, they become courageous enough— or 
foolish enough — to strike out for themselves. In this 
connection a crumb of comfort may be extracted by 
those whose MSS. return to them with pertina- 
cious regularity, by the statement of the fact that a 
large number of the books annually sent out by our 
first-class publishers are paid for in hard cash by the 
writers. The price asked by the publishers for the 
bringing out and advertising of such productions, is 
sometimes more and sometimes less, though it is 
doubtful if the sum ever goes below $500. So when 
the book that ''isn^t half as good as mine,^' is an- 
nounced with a grand flourish of trumpets, let the dis- 
appointed author solace himself with the reflection 
that if he had put his hand in his pockets to the same 
depth, his book would have occupied the same position. 
Of course there are exceptions to this rule, as to all 
others, and if a book is hopelessly poor, no money will 
induce a reputable publishing house to endorse it. 

If a MS. is sold outright, there should be an arrang-e- 



THE AUTHOR-PUBLISHER. Ill 

ment for future profits to the author in case of a large 
sale. What, for instance, can be more ag-g-ravating* 
than to sell one's novel for a small sum, and then have 
it achieve a great success ? But a bargain is a bar- 
gain, and the poor scribe has no case unless his pub- 
lisher happens to be a man with a nicely adjusted 
conscience. 

RISKS AND COSTS OF PUBLICATION. 

The number of MSS. that have gone the rounds of 
publishers^ offices without acceptance, and have after- 
wards been profitably issued by the writers, is larger 
than supposed, and every year the number increases. 
This process of book publishing is not difficult, but it 
may be disastrous. An author needs to exercise the 
most thorough business discretion in deciding such a 
matter. The first question should be, " Can I afford 
the financial risk?'' The next, ''Have I sufficient 
judgment in matters pertaining to the practical part 
of such work to make success probable ? " If these 
questions are answered in the affirmative, the next 
step is to have the MS. carefully read by a professional 
critic. Than this, there is nothing more important. 
The writer who pays a regular publisher for produc- 
ing his work, has the benefit of careful criticism, for 



112 INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

while the publisher may not be in the least sanguine 
of the success of the book, he is careful enoug-h of his 
own reputation not to permit the author to figure very 
conspicuously as an ignoramus. Here is the winter's 
protection. But when he takes the reins into his own 
hands, and whips his Pegasus into market, under the 
stress of disappointment or anger, he will, in nine cases 
out of ten, come to grief. If he is a man of education 
and culture, the case is different. Such a man can 
afford to take risks which would be fatal to the liter- 
ary amateur. And again, the literary amateur, with 
an imperfect education, may, and often does, originate 
matter that by careful pruning and arranging, puts 
the man of culture to shame. The book of the skilled 
writer may fail, but there is nothing in such a failure 
to make him wish that he had never been born, as cer- 
tainly must be the case with the amateur author who 
publishes his own book, and afterwards finds it and 
himself a laughing stock for the world. It is one thing 
to say " Mr. So and So^s novel was somewhat disap- 
pointing, the characters unnatural, and the plot weak,^' 
and quite another to have written against one, " There 
is no excuse for the existence of such a book as Mr. So 
and So's, published by himself. This novel has un- 
doubtedty made the toui' of all the publishers^ offices, 



THE AUTHOR-PUBLISHER. 113 

and was rescued from a merciful oblivion only by the 
colossal ig-norance and conceit of the author." One 
maj^ speedily recover from the first disappointment, 
the second is a blow which authors will do well to 
dodge. This can be done by placing the MS. in the 
hands of an unprejudiced professional critic. To seek 
the opinion of a dear friend in such a matter — even 
though that friend may really possess literary taste 
and judgment — is to do a very foolish thing. The 
friend is afraid to hurt. The honest critic will cut 
deep, and save the enthusiast from making a public 
exhibition of his ignorance and vanity. 

METHOD OF PUBLICATION. 

After these details have been attended to, comes the 
choice of a printer. It is best to submit the work to 
three or four reliable houses, and get estimates from 
each. To do this successfully the writer must have a 
clear idea of the size of the book, the paper, the type, 
and the covers. A satisfactory printer having" been 
found, the contract is next in order. This document 
should always definitely name the date of issue. The 
failure of a printer to have the work finished at the 
stated time, is prolific of annoyance, and sometimes 
productive of serious results. A verbal agreement be- 



114 IISrFORMATION FOR AUTHORS. 

fore a witness is thoug-ht by some to be as binding- as 
any other form, but a contract " in black and white " 
is preferable. 

It is a safe thing- generally to have a book electro- 
typed, although this process increases the first cost. 
Here, the advice of a disinterested professional critic is 
also in order. If there seems a reasonable chance for 
a second edition, the work of electrotyping, which ren- 
ders a resetting of the type unnecessary, makes the 
second and all future editions very inexpensive. 

Some authors who select cloth covers for their books 
feel of the market by having- a thousand copies printed 
and electrotyped, and only five hundred bound. This 
diminishes the cost of the work, and in case of failure 
there are so many less binding's to be sacrificed. If 
there is a good sale for the five hundred, the remainder 
can be speedily put into covers. 

When the book is finished, copies should be sent to 
the leading periodicals and newspapers for notices, and 
such advertising mediums selected as seem best 
adapted to push the work. If notices are favorable, 
and the book begins to make its way, there will be no 
need of any extra effort in putting it on the market, 
as orders for it will come in from first-class book stores 
all over the country. 



THE AUTHOR-PUBLISHER. 115 

It is safe for an author to allow $500 as the probable 
cost of publishing" an ordinary sized novel,, bound in 
cloth. In this department of trade, as in every other, 
there are apt to be unavoidable extras, little things 
occurring to the author from time to time which 
would facilitate the sale of his book. This sum oug-ht 
to pa}^ for an edition of one thousand, nicely bound and 
electrotyped. If paper covers are selected, the cost 
will be materially lessened. If success attends the ven- 
ture of the author-publisher, the money made by his 
investment is all his own. His book is paid for, and 
he is not oblig'ed to take a ten per cent, royalty and 
give up the remainder. But if he fails, he loses every- 
thing. The result is the same if a book fails in the 
hands of a publisher who has been paid for produc- 
tion. There can be no royalty if there is no sale. 



116 INFOEMATIOK FOR AUTHOES. 



CHAPTER X. 
A REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATION. 

One of the most popular and useful periodicals in 
the country, and one which offers unrivalled induce- 
ments to writers in the matter of quick decisions and 
adequate compensation, is the " Youth's Companion/' 
published by Perry Mason & Co., Boston. 

This paper was established in 1827. From the first, 
it has aimed to furnish the most desirable form of 
intellectual entertainment for the family, and in a 
nation of homes it has naturally found a wide welcome. 
" The Companion" is not a paper for children, but for 
young- people, and it is one of its marked peculiarities 
that it is eagerly read by their elders. All its stories 
have a high moral purpose and are as interesting to 
the old as to the young. Aiming as it does to convey 
as much useful information as possible, it is really a 
weekly cyclopedia in which are always to be found 
valuable facts on the social and scientific interests of 
the day, set forth in articles written by some of the 
most eminent scholars and statesmen of the time. In 



A REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIOIn^. 117 

fact, nothing- is more surprising- than the hst of 
famous names and interesting- subjects which at the 
beg-inning- of each year is pubhshed in the form of a 
prospectus, — an extensive bill of fare for the forth- 
coming- literary banquet promised to its more than 
400,000 actual subscribers, to say nothing- of the many 
more thousands of additional readers. It is an indica- 
tion not only of its interesting- character, but of the 
g-ood sense of some teachers, that in many school- 
rooms it takes the place of a reg-ular reading'-book, and 
old copies are g-iven to the children to read in leisure 
minutes, as a reward for g-ood behavior or fine recita- 
tions. Thousands of dollars have, during- the past few 
years, been expended by the editors in prizes for the 
best stories, and the result, both to the publishers and 
the patrons, has fully justified the expenditure. 

Three readers of MS. are regularly employed in the 
office, and the acceptance of an article is assured if 
two of them decide in its favor. Articles are never 
held over two weeks, and are paid for on acceptance, 
not waiting- for publication. If stamps accompany 
them, they are returned as promptly in case of rejec- 
tion, otherwise the contributors are duly notified of 
the rejection, and articles are sent when stamps are 
forwarded. 



118 USTORMATION^ FOR AUTHORS. 

Writers should understand that no relig-ious, politi- 
cal, fairy or love stories are desired. As a rule, no 
story should exceed 3000 words; shorter ones are still 
more in demand. They should create a lively interest, 
but be entirely free from morbid or sensational 
elements. Nothing is more marked than the high in- 
tellectual and moral tone of this deservedly popular 
paper, but writers will always blunder if they make 
the moral too apparent. " Preachy " stories have 
wings and fly back to their authors most speedily. 
Anecdotes of distinguished persons, bright reminis- 
cences of noted scenes are always welcome at this office, 
provided they are worked up with power, are very 
short, and the themes are not hackneyed. The writers 
who can adapt their work to the readers of the 
" Youth's Companion " have the benefit of an immense 
audience; and as a medium to make known an author's 
work it is unapproachable. 



WHEN two brands of the same sort of 
goods are selling side by side in the 
market, one bringing double the price 
of the other, what is it that enables the former 
to find sale ? Always, because it is worth that 
much more ; because it will wear longer, do bet- 
ter service while it lasts, keep one satisfied with 
his purchase instead of kicking himself for a fool 
all the time he has it, be reliable at the sharpest 
emergency instead of liable to give out just when 
it is needed most. And the concern dealing in 
such goods has to charge more for them, because 
it costs more to make them. That is exactly why 
The Travelers charges more for its Accident 
Policies than its competitors, why they are worth 
more, and why it can get more and do a greater 
business than they despite its higher rates. The 
rates are the lowest that permanent surety of 
paying all claims when due will justify. It paid 
claimants about $1,400,000 in 1887, and has paid 
them over $15,000,000 altogether. ''Moral: 
Insure in The Travelers." 



ABSOLUTE SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. 



REMINGTON 



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The Remington is the oldest machine on the market (13 
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manipulation, durability, neat work, and manifolding 
capacity. Send for Illustrated Pamphlet. 



Cincinnati, July 25, '88. Highest speed on legal work. New York, Aug. 2, '88. 
Highest speed on correspondence. Toronto, Aug. 13, '88. (Interna'l Tournament 
for World's Championship.) ist and 2d Prizes, business correspondence. ist and 2d 
Prizes, legal testimony (gold and silver medals). Send for circular and price-list. 

WYCKOFF, SHAMANS & BENEDICT, 

327 Broad^A^ay, Ne^7V York City. 



BRANCHES: 



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MARVELOUS 

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Any Book Learned in One Reading. 

MIND WANDERING CURED. 
SPEAKING WITHOUT NOTES. 

Piracy Condemned by the Supreme Coiort. 

GREAT INDUCEMENTS TO CORRESPON- 
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Prospectus, with opinions of Dr. Wm. A. 
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great Psychologist, J. M. Buckley, D.D., Editor 
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terms must be made, according to the amount of time 
and labor required. 

For articles that are successfully placed, a com- 
mission of 10 per cent, will be charged. 

Postage for return -must accompany mafiuscript. 
Stories of superior merit zuill be bought by the 
Bureau. 

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